Gqeberha sprinter Marko Ferreira has set his sights on winning gold at the World U20 Championships following an impressive performance at the ASA Age Group Championships in Germiston.
The World U20 Championships are scheduled for August in Oregon.
Ferreira has become one of the world’s fastest young athletes after clocking a personal best of 10.09 seconds in the 100m semifinals in Germiston.
He is the third fastest South African junior athlete in history, along with Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana.
The 19-year-old, representing Eastern Province Athletics, ran 10.6 sec in the 100m final to win gold.
Teammate Ntiyiso Nkanyani clocked 50.14 seconds to win silver in the men’s U23 400m hurdles final.
I took control of it, cleared my mind and executed the race. Also, training with fast training partners helped me stay calm under pressure
— Marko Ferreira
“It’s still a long time until the World U20 Championships, and if everything goes well and I stay injury-free, I hope to make the final and maybe bring back a medal to follow in the footsteps of Bayanda Walaza,” Ferreira said.
“It feels great to be mentioned alongside stars like Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana.
“I did not think this was possible. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to run this year. I had a big injury, but with my team and coach, I secured it.
“I surprised myself when I ran that time [10.09 sec in the semifinal]. My coach told me it’s not the ideal weather to go all out now, but I knew I had it in me.”
When asked if there was any pressure heading into the final after setting a personal best time in the semifinal, the former Daniel Pienaar High School student said: “It was not my first ASA final, so I knew how it felt. However, being the favourite was scary.
“All the noise and cheers had me nervous, but I knew I had it in me to win. I took control of it, cleared my mind and executed the race. Also, training with fast training partners helped me stay calm under pressure.”
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