Two local sisters, who have been named among South Africa’s top distance runners, are ready to take on athletes from around the globe in one of the most challenging and prestigious events on the international circuit – the World Athletics Cross Country Championships (WXC) – in Bathurst, Australia this Saturday (18 February).
It will also be the first time in 10 years that Somerset West sisters Kyla Jacobs (28) and Aynslee van Graan (27) are on the same South African team. The last time the duo represented the SA junior team at the XC African Championships was in Cape Town in 2012.
Van Graan again represented SA at the World XC champs in Denmark in 2019, while Jacobs donned the green and gold in the 5 000 m event at the Senior African Track & Field Championships last year.
“It was very special to share the experience and race together for our country, and we’re blessed to be able to do it again,” said Jacobs.
“We have an extra special relationship. When we race, we race each other hard. But we are also each other’s biggest supporters and motivators. When one of us runs a new personal best, usually at the next race, the other one will match it or run just a little faster.”
Van Graan has since relocated to Sydney, Australia, and Kyla had a chance to visit her sister in December. During the visit the two had a chance to work on their running together, ahead of an epic sister battle on the WXC field.
“It was great to have a chance to train together, push each other in workouts and prepare to race together at WXC.
“The team was announced on Friday 3 February, and it was such a relief and amazing moment to realise we reached our goal and will be not only seeing each other again, but also race together for Team SA,” Jacobs said, adding she is probably in the best shape of her life at the moment.
“I opened my track season with a 15:55 in a 5 000 m event two weeks ago, which is really good. I ran a 15:37 in a 5 000 m race last year, which ranked me ninth overall on the all-time SA performance list, so I look forward to putting my fitness to test on the assumingly ‘brutal’ course in Bathurst.”
Van Graan is also in great form, finishing fifth at the Australian National 10 000 m Championships in a time of 32:48 in December. This put her in at number five on the all-time SA performance list.
“WXC is very tough, drawing Olympians and world champions over various long distance events. I would be very happy to be the first South African and hopefully secure a top 50 finish,” Jacobs concluded.
