Deji Ogeyingbo wrote this piece on South African sprinter Clarence Munyai. There’s each a textual content interview and an audio interview under! Please get pleasure from!
Clarence Munyai is on his profession path, competing at Rio Olympics as a youngster, and hopes for African Sprinting
South Africa’s Olympic sprinter Clarence Munyai had a really modest 2022 season as he picked up a Bronze on the African Championships whereas additionally competing on the World Championships. With so many highs and lows in his profession, the 24-year-Outdated nonetheless has massive desires for the longer term.
Two-time Olympian Munyai talks about his love for the game, and the way he began out as a child whereas giving an perception into what he thinks the governing physique must develop the game.
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RunBlogRun: How was your upbringing in South Africa?
Clarence Munyai: I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s the capital, and my love for athletics comes a great distance. I’m positive in most nations, the very first thing you do as a toddler I believe, is athletics. I used to like all sports activities in school. In main college, I performed cricket and soccer however I used to be only a bit higher at operating. That was the place my ardour for operating began. I had a instructor in Excessive Faculty named Billy who was the primary individual that believed in my skills. He was the one that really received me to do athletics fairly correctly, and I all the time allude to my success to him and I thank him for the place I’m at present.
RunBlogRun: What made you make that call to select athletics amongst different widespread sports activities in South Africa?
Clarence Munyai: Once I was youthful, I wasn’t fairly particular at operating. I didn’t win any main medals at provincials or something like that. I used to be simply higher at it than the opposite sports activities that I performed. Within the early levels, I used to coach to play rugby, which is the most important sport in South Africa, and clearly, as a teenager, I did need to take rugby professionally. Nonetheless, after I went to some nationwide athletics occasions with none coaching, I managed to get a bronze at these meets at an early age. My coach then suggested me to take the game severely understanding absolutely nicely that if I educated nicely for it, I could possibly be a world-beater. It was then that he planted the seed in my head about my potential and I made a decision to take the game severely.
RunBlogRun: What age was this and at what level did you envisage your self doing one thing particular in athletics?
Clarence Munyai: I started to take athletics severely at age fifteen. After my coach planted the seed in my head, I started to set targets for myself. I keep in mind watching the London Olympics and seeing the nice issues Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake did. Additionally watching them compete within the 4x100m relay, actually impressed me and I knew I wished to compete at that stage. It was a giant second for me.
RunBlogRun: Yeah, it was one of many best relays of all time
Clarence Munyai: All of us use to look at the relays, that actually impressed us like someday, hopefully, we will get to run at that degree. That pushed me as an athlete to set massive targets to attempt to obtain them. Though I’ve achieved a few of these targets, there may be nonetheless loads extra to return from me.
RunBlogRun: How does it really feel like being a two-time Olympian?
Clarence Munyai: I made my first Olympics after I was nonetheless in highschool. I used to be in grade11 after I made my first Olympics, it was a giant factor as a result of I used to be nonetheless in class, and at the moment we have been I used to be the youngest within the crew. It was exceptional for youngsters to go to the Olympics, particularly in observe and subject. So, was a giant achievement for me, and it gave me the idea that I can obtain extra within the sport.
I all the time inform individuals; you may’t actually clarify the sensation of being on the Olympics. You must be there with the intention to expertise it. The primary one, was fairly good. I received to see Usain Bolt operating and profitable the 100m remaining. I received to expertise Wayde van Niekerk breaking the world file for 400m and it gave me the motivation that I can obtain these targets if I set my thoughts to them.
Tokyo was a bit completely different due to COVID the earlier 12 months, so there weren’t followers within the stadium. However clearly, as an athlete, you need to go do what you’ve got been coaching to do. You possibly can’t all the time take into consideration the surface noise. It’s simply you and the coach or your teammates going right into a race, you see it the identical method. Simply go do what you need to do and overlook
about the remaining. It was a bit difficult, however I managed it and I made the semi-final, which made me fairly blissful.
RunBlogRun: What’s the key distinction as an athlete for you operating in entrance of an enormous crowd as you probably did in Rio and never operating in entrance of a crowd due to COVID in Tokyo?
Clarence Munyai: As I stated in 2016 because it was the primary one, I keep in mind stepping out onto the observe the primary time and I noticed that the stadium was fairly packed. It was a daunting second for me as a result of I used to be nonetheless younger. The stadium was stuffed to the brim and it was fairly tense having to carry out in entrance of all the opposite individuals in attendance on the stadium.
It was a distinct expertise in Tokyo as a result of there was no cheering. Whenever you go within the block, you may actually hear the block transfer while you run out. It was actually quiet. However clearly, you’ve received to give attention to what you need to do regardless if there have been followers or not.
RunBlogRun: How was the sensation like breaking the Nationwide file within the 200m while you have been simply 20 years Outdated?
Clarence Munyai: Once I broke the file, I used to be on run of kind. I had the African Junior file as much as 20.10 earlier than Letsile Tebogo broke it this 12 months. Going into the race, I used to be fairly assured and had labored actually laborious. I keep in mind I ran 20.18 my first race of that season, I ran 20.18 as my opener, and I form of knew that I had one thing particular coming and going to the nationwide champs the place I did break the file. Every part labored out fairly nicely. The climate was fairly good.
Apparently, I used to be busy enjoying sport the earlier night time, which made me a bit late. I virtually missed the time as a result of I used to be purported to be on the observe round eight, however I didn’t hear my alarm and I ended up speeding to the observe. Once I received there, I advised myself that I’ve to go up rapidly. The race was in gradual movement for me. It felt like the whole lot was excellent from when the gun went to the end. It was actually gradual movement. I might keep in mind the whole lot, particularly my drive part.
Once I received across the 180m mark and I appeared on the time and noticed 18s, I knew it was going to be one thing particular. And after I crossed the road and noticed 19.69s, I couldn’t imagine it as a result of,
it had been one in every of my targets to interrupt the junior 200 file after which the senior one, and I did it a 12 months after one another.
I did undergo some accidents after that. It was then I noticed you may’t all the time be on the prime in sports activities. You might be in your greatest kind and really match, and while you go right into a race it begins raining. At that time, you simply race to win as a substitute of operating for occasions. We have now different stuff we undergo personally too. I needed to study to not put an excessive amount of strain on myself and take issues one step at a time as I recovered from accidents.
RunBlogRun: Speak us by the technicalities of operating the 200m and which do you like; the 100m or 200m?
Clarence Munyai: I’ve all the time liked the 200m, however this 12 months after I did get to study correctly find out how to run the 100m. The 100m is a really technical race. It’s not like 200m or 400m. For those who make a mistake, you may’t get better nicely, not like the 200m. I really feel I do must be affected person with the 200m. My coach all the time tells me now that the race shouldn’t be received on the 50m mark. So, he all the time tells me to delay my drive part. As an alternative of constructing my drive 30 meters, I can push it to 50m, and in addition make my transition longer. That’s while you usually get the nice occasions and you’ll all the time be relaxed. So, the 200m takes extra endurance.
RunBlogRun: What do you make of the present degree of African sprinting?
Clarence Munyai: It’s actually magnificent to see the way in which African sprinting is arising. Just a few years in the past, we didn’t actually have plenty of African sprinters operating nicely. There are clearly just a few like Marie Josee Ta Lou and a few others, however now there are a lot of of us within the combine competing on the highest degree. The younger ones like Letsile Tebogo, and Favour Ashe arising. So it’s like there may be plenty of expertise arising yearly in Africa and within the subsequent few years, Africa will most likely be dominating the sprints. Way back, we was once often known as a long-distance continent as a result of we too dominated long-distance, however now we dominate sprints as nicely. And it’s good to be part of that.
RunBlogRun: What do you make of the rivalry between Akani and Ferdinand this 12 months?
Clarence Munyai: I actually liked it, as a result of I used to be lucky sufficient to be in Germiston to look at their first race this season. Earlier than they squared up towards one another, I ran the 200m. Everybody within the stadium had their eyes fastened on race. Ferdinand ultimately received, but it surely was fairly shut. The stadium was going loopy. I used to be so excited to look at that race, as a result of they’re two of the most effective sprinters in 100m and on the continent and on the planet.
After that, they met on the African Championships in Mauritius. I knew it was going to be a pleasant rematch. Simbine wished to defend his title and Omanyala wished to win it for the primary time; so, it was a battle to see who the quickest man in Africa is. I’m even getting goosebumps now speaking about it.
I had advised my coach that whoever got here out after the primary 40m was going to be the winner. However after I realized that they have been neck and neck after the primary 40m, I knew it was going to be fairly shut. After they received to 60m and 80m and it’s nonetheless neck and neck it was all the time going to be an in depth end. I didn’t even know who received on the finish, however I simply noticed 9.94s. I’m trying ahead to the rivalry within the coming years.
RunBlogRun: What did you make of Letsile Tebogo and his efficiency towards you on the African Championships?
Clarence Munyai: He’s fairly particular. Once I first watched him over the 100m at a meet in Botswana earlier this 12 months, he simply appeared to take it simple with about 30m to go. I haven’t seen that as a junior. The final time I noticed somebody do this was clearly Usain Bolt and he did it at a better degree.
Developing towards him on the African Championships, there was a sense he was going to do one thing particular too. I keep in mind him being on my inside, and though I often do have fairly a fast flip, he was up on me within the first 60m. In the long run, he form of slowed down earlier than the end. The climate was fairly dangerous as a result of. It was pouring with sturdy headwinds. Working 20.2 was very quick in these circumstances for him. He went on and replicated that efficiency on the World Championships in Eugene and he did it once more on the World Juniors.
So, he’s a uncommon breed.
RunBlogRun: What do you assume was the key issue that helped the rise of the relays in South Africa?
Clarence Munyai: We realized plenty of us have been operating sub-10s persistently over a interval and all we wanted was to give attention to placing collectively. Clearly, as a result of we’re sprinters, we naturally wished to give attention to ourselves. We started to have relay camps twice a month.
Typically the relay isn’t received by the quickest squad. It’s received by the crew that will get collectively nicely and has baton alternate. I believe our largest mistake is prior to now we simply thought we might simply come collectively and simply race like that on race day.
We began placing extra emphasis on just like the coaching and the technicalities of relays, it really helped us to get crew and truly begin grinding good occasions. It began in Doha in 2019 after we broke the African file, and it was all because of the camps we used to do.
RunBlogRun: What do you assume must be carried out to develop Observe and Subject?
Athletes must be part of it extra. Once we went to Paris in 2017, we got the media platform to speak to journalists and we received them in on it as nicely to help us with attempting to hype up the championships. The abnormal fan likes rivalries. For instance, while you watch Man United Vs Man Metropolis, it’s all the time a battle for which crew is the most effective. I keep in mind as nicely, Akani Vs Ferdinand, most individuals went to go watch that as a result of that’s what they prefer it.
On the World Champs, the 200m was primarily based round Noah versus Knighton, which was the race to the championship. Most individuals don’t actually perceive the occasions, as a result of time could be quick or gradual, relying on the climate. We have to construct extra rivalries within the sport and hype it up in a pleasant method.
RunBlogRun: Who’re the highest three celebrities you’ve met exterior athletics?
Clarence Munyai: I’ve to say Usain, as a result of he’s a celeb, regardless that he was a observe and subject. I’ve met Usain Bolt. I believe that’s about it as a result of after I go to championships, I’m all within the room and lock myself up. I by no means get to see individuals. I all the time get individuals to inform me they met this star and I’m like, oh, I missed out as a result of I used to be within the room. I would like to vary that although.
