Scorching run leaves Detshe yearning for more

Madibaz middle-distance runner Amanda Detshe aims to achieve a series of personal bests this season.

Madibaz 5 000m star-in-the-making Amanda Detshe scorched the tartan at the Eastern Province League track and field meeting over the weekend to book her ticket to the U23 national championships.

In her first competitive outing of the 2025 season, she broke the tape in 19:12.72 to come in well under the ASA qualifying time of 19:25.30.

While qualification is an important box to tick, the 21-year-old was left unimpressed with her effort after falling short of her expectation.

Although she had left her opponents in her dust, Detshe explained that she had run out of steam in the closing laps.

“Even though I qualified, I know I need to keep working hard,” she admitted this week.

The law enforcement student said she and her coach, former top runner Leonardo de Villiers, would hit the practice field in the coming weeks armed with a training programme designed to keep lowering her season’s best.

It has been quite the journey for Detshe, who entered her very first race in Bizana in the former Transkei a decade earlier.

“I remember it very well. It was 2015 and it was the 1 200m, which I won,” she said.

“I was so taken with the sport that I told myself I would never give up, no matter what.”

Detshe said running was all about training the body and mind to “overcome hard things” and likened it to a “form of meditation”.

Hence, she said, athletes did not run because they “have to”, they did so because they “love to”.

She only has fond memories of the 12-and-a-half lapper.

“I loved it so much at high school. They used to call me the queen of the 5 000m because that’s the event where I would always run my best.”

De Villiers, who has been identifying and moulding talent as a coach for near on three decades, begs to differ. He believes she has a natural flair for the tough 3 000m steeplechase discipline.

“She joined my group of athletes eight months ago and has been working hard to improve her fitness,” he said.

As she was lacking in that department, it immediately became their focus area. They also introduced longer runs to build stamina.

In addition, the Eastern Cape Academy of Sport will put Detshe through a barrage of tests at the Madibaz High Performance complex next week to identify further areas on which she can improve.

Although still rough around the edges, De Villiers has her down as a podium prospect in the steeplechase – if she bites.