RACE TO THE TOP

BY JOHN GOLIATH

UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE (UWC) ATHLETE NAEEM JACK is a generational talent, a kid whose name will soon feature among South Africa and the world’s elite track and field athletes. In March, the 16-year old reclaimed his SA junior 110m hurdles record, blitzing the field in 13.10 seconds. A seriously good time. And in the senior championships he made the men’s 200m final alongside one of South Africa’s greatest sportsmen, Wayde van Niekerk.

OVER THE PAST SIX YEARS, Jack’s coach – sprint specialist Paul Jacobus – has seen him develop into an athlete for whom the sky’s the limit. “His main event is the 110m hurdles but the hurdles are a bit bigger at senior level and he didn’t train with them. We didn’t want him to get hurt,” says Jacobus.

“HE HELD THE PREVIOUS JUNIOR RECORD but it was broken by another athlete. So he desperately wanted to get it back and ran a very good race to reclaim it. The senior championships were a great experience because they showed him what it’s going to take to compete at the top level and gave him confidence to know he is not far off competing with the best.”

JACOBUS BELIEVES IN THE SAYING THAT “IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD”, which is why a UWC biokineticist will soon join Jack’s team. “A lot of coaches think they have to do everything for the athlete, but I don’t believe that,” says Jacobus. “For me, a coach must concentrate on what happens on the track. You can’t go into a field such as biokinetics if you’re not qualified. There needs to be a team around a top athlete; one person can’t do everything.”

UWC HAS SOME OF SOUTH AFRICA’S TOP BIOKINETICISTS specialising in injury prevention, mobility training, weight training, evaluating bone structure and working out the best course of action when it comes to work in the gym. “Naeem wanted UWC because the experience and know-how is there. The support system needs to be in place to push him to the next level,” says Jacobus.

JACK WAS TOO YOUNG FOR THIS YEAR’S OLYMPICS in Paris and Jacobus says he is targeting the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. But first there’s the small matter of the junior world 110m hurdles record of 12.87 seconds.

Our biggest goal this year is to break the junior world record. We have until the end of the year to try and achieve that. - PAUL JACOBUS, SPRINT SPECIALIST

“OUR END GOAL IS THE 2028 OLYMPICS but for now we are taking everything step by step,” says Jacobus. “Our biggest goal this year is to break the junior world record. We have until the end of the year to try and achieve that. Naeem is also doing online schooling at the moment, which means he needs to be more focused and disciplined, because online schooling and training aren’t jokes!”