Expectation is something that all gifted athletes have to deal with but it now becomes a national duty for South Africans to apply a dose of reality to Glenrose Xaba as the road to Los Angeles 2028 stretches out ahead of us.
Xaba is a medal candidate for Team SA at the LA Olympics, of that there is no doubt. She is a multi-talented 29-year-old – turning 30 on the last day of 2024 – and will still only be 33 when those Games come round. They will be her first Olympics, with injuries scuppering her Tokyo chances and lack of a qualifying time making her ineligible for Paris.
That in itself wasn’t easy to deal with for an athlete who has in 2024 alone shattered Elana Meyer’s South African 10km record and then in her debut marathon smashed Gerda Steyn’s national marathon mark when winning the Cape Town Marathon in 2hr 22min 22sec.
Let’s be clear about this. Xaba, now under the expert mentorship of Violet and Caster Semenya, can become a national treasure. She is a rare talent who has found her way in the sport and in life, after some difficult periods. By her own admission there were occasions when she hated the relentless nature of training and times when she simply didn’t turn up to training with former coach Michael Seme.
However, she’s at that “sweet spot” which now allows her to run with a smile on her face. A happy athlete is a fast athlete and the results are there for all to see. Xaba could pick her distance and aim for LA 2028 in that event – that’s how good she is. Realistically, given her exploits in the SPAR Grand Prix Series, which she has now won twice – the 10 000m would be an option but in her own quiet way she has set out her target: “the marathon,” she says when asked of her plans. “I believe I can win gold. I believe I am capable.”
Hear hear. We all agree.
The expectation however, can’t be allowed to spiral out of control. Since scorching to that 2:22.22 in the Cape Town Marathon, where she carved chunks off two-time Olympian Steyn’s national marathon record, she’s been in demand with sponsors, media and others looking to get a piece of her. That’s how stardom works.
We need to understand that she has run one marathon. The fact she was able to break the tape in 2:22.22 is outrageous and given the speed she has shown over shorter, the sub-2:20 mark is the next frontier. Perhaps even in her next marathon. But there even I go, such is the excitement around her potential. I’m getting ahead of myself.
In 2024 alone, Xaba’s 2:22.22 places her only 69th fastest for the women’s marathon, the list headed by Kenya’s Ruth Chepnegetich, whose 2:09.56 in Chicago in October was other-worldly. That was six minutes quicker than Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebeda (2:15.55 in Tokyo) and Tigist Ketema (2:16.07 in Dubai). Some 29 different women marathoners have gone under 2:20 this year. That’s the level Xaba will be up against in Los Angeles.
Which is not to say she is not up to the task. The Cape Town route isn’t as fast as those of the big city marathons, which when converted, send Xaba surging past many on the list above her. She’s a gold nugget but as a marathoner she’s still a newbie. She’s run once competitively over 42.2km.
Let the Semenyas do their job in building up Xaba on the road to LA.
Let her experience racing marathons around the world, remembering too that when it comes to events like the Olympics, the Ethiopians and Kenyans will always be strong because they have three athletes wearing their country’s vest capable of winning a medal on any given day.
For now though, let’s allow Rose to soak up the plaudits. As she says, she’s still pinching herself. “I’m so grateful. I didn’t expect that much (Cape Town’s time). I want to thank everyone along this journey. I’m a person who dreams a lot. I believe in myself, I can do anything. I was born to do so much and achieve a lot in my career. I’m looking forward to having a good time and enjoying it.”
Which is the way South Africans must embrace and support. It’s a journey to 2028, a marathon not a sprint, in every sense.
It’s well documented that around the Tokyo Games (2021) she was on the verge of quitting the sport. Which is where Violet and Caster Semenya showed that it’s Team Xaba and not Glenrose Xaba alone on the road. That team environment is a hugely important and often under-played aspect of individual sport.
“There were times when I was not being consistent with Michael, sometimes not pitch up to training. Now I train fully. Sometimes when I’m tired I must show up. I’m doing more mileage and endurance. Violet has always been there to encourage me to not give up. Both her and coach Caster kept motivating me. Violet has been a pillar of strength.
“Caster had a five-year plan for me but injuries played their part so it didn’t happen like that. But the way it turned out ahs been magical, I have achieved things that weren’t on the plan. I need to work very hard, believe in myself, conquer the world and achieve the best.”
Her exploits on the road in 2024 have netted her around R1.6-million in prize money and a new car for a year.
She’s a rare, special talent. Violet Semenya, who is a self-confessed “motherly figure by nature”, says “Glenrose always gives me tears in my eyes. It’s been a rough road. We’re not athlete and coach, we’re BFF, sisters. She’s my baby sister, our families know one another. When she runs she runs for family. Our own kids love her so much,” Violet told talk show host Robert Marawa.
“Glenrose had belief in us (Semenyas). She has had the patience and been through rough times. Caster told her, ‘give us four years and we’ll see’.”
Now, the rest of the world is saying: “Give Glenrose four more years and we’ll see.” Los Angeles 2028, here we come.
Commentaires