Steyn Eyes Sixth Successive Two Oceans Victory As Rivals Gear Up For Showdown

Sometime this afternoon, the contenders for the TotalSports Two Oceans title will gather at a hotel in the Mother City, not too far from the start line of the flagship 56km race, to share their state of readiness with the media.

Gerda Steyn will take most of the spotlight, and she will, as she always does, flash that famous smile of hers and expertly avoid talking up her chances at what would be her sixth successive victory in the race. Her potential opponent and now teammate at Hollywood Athletics Club, Irvette van Zyl, will giggle and say Ja at the start of almost all her sentences, which she will litter with her desire to beat Steyn.

It is once again going to be a two-women race, as it was back in 2022 when the duo both broke Frith van der Merwes record from way back in 1989, a mark that had been thought of as unbreakable. The two repeated their duel last year, after Van Zyl missed the 2023 race due to injury, and this time Steyn won pretty comfortably after her adversary was tripped and fell early on in the race.

She still ran remarkably for a second-place finish, although a good three minutes behind Steyn, who again completed the race in record time.

In the mens race, last years winner, Onalenna Khonkhobe of Nedbank Running Club, will boldly predict his victory in his inimitable way the lad from the North West Province sure to describe himself as the head of the table.