Cape Town - World athletics icon Usain Bolt will be at Ruimsig Stadium in Johannesburg next Monday (January 29) as part of an Athletics South Africa (ASA) development programme.
The multiple Olympic gold medallist winner in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, who is also world record holder of the mentioned events, is visiting South Africa as the principal of the PUMA School of Speed which will see five competitions held around the country.
Bolt, who retired in 2017, is also an ambassador for the IAAF to promote athletics worldwide.
“The arrival of Bolt comes at an opportune time when the 2018 youth and junior domestic athletics season is now in full swing,” said Aleck Skhosana, the President of Athletics South Africa. “His presence here will encourage a lot of youngsters to perform better and elite athletes to renew their ambitions to make South Africa the best.
“We have more than 500 000 youth and junior athletes between the ages of 14-19 years at high school level that are currently competing in domestic school competitions.
“Their main objective is to reach the 2018 ASA Youth and Junior Championships (April 5-7, Paarl) where they hope to qualify to represent South Africa at the 2018 IAAF World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland from (June 10-14). The presence of this icon is a great chance for athletics fans that have followed his career over the years to see him.”
The School of Speed competitions will take place on:
1. PUC MC Arthur Stadium, Potchefstroom, January 20, 2018
2. Ruimsig Stadium, Johannesburg, January 29, 2018
3. Kings Park Stadium, Durban, February 10, 2018
4. Dal Josaphat Stadium, Paarl, February 26, 2018
5. Bestmed Tuks Stadium, Pretoria, March 3, 2018.
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