More than 3 000 athletes competed at Pilditch Stadium this weekend as the 2026 Curro Podium North meet more than doubled in size from its inaugural event, with 3 282 athletes from 102 schools taking part in the two-day competition.
Standout performances matched the growth, including a new South African U16 girls’ 200m record and a new pathway for primary school athletes to compete at the Curro Podium Grand Finale.
Bintou Camara
Curro Hazeldean’s Bintou Camara delivered the weekend’s headline performance, running 23.91 seconds in the U16 girls’ 200m and setting a new U16 best, surpassing Evette de Klerk’s 23.94-second mark from 1980.
The record had stood for 46 years. De Klerk later went on to set the senior South African 200m record of 22.06 seconds, which remains in place today.
Camara’s performance also earned her the Victrix Ludorum title for junior girls’ best track athlete.
The girls’ 17-year-old age group produced another closely contested 100m hurdles final, with Megan Maree taking the win in 13.25 seconds, ahead of Megan Nieman in 13.33 and Janelle Kirkpatrick in 13.35.
There was also a significant change to the Podium pathway this year, with primary school athletes competing at Podium North for the first time with the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 Grand Finale.
Laerskool Lynnwood
Of the 3 282 athletes at the meet, 1 058 were primary school athletes from 33 schools. They produced 89 records across the primary school events, with Laerskool Lynnwood finishing top of the primary school standings.
The high school competition attracted 2 224 athletes from 69 schools and required an additional competition day to accommodate the field. Die Hoërskool Menlopark finished first overall, with Curro Hazeldean in second place.
For Curro, the size of the field and the performances over the weekend point to the depth of talent coming through school athletics.
“South Africa has so much athletic talent, and it was fantastic to see athletes from so many schools competing against each other at Podium North,” said Cindy van der Merwe, Portfolio Manager for Curro Sport. “Opening the pathway to the Grand Finale to primary school athletes is an important next step for the platform and allows younger athletes to compete at that level earlier in their athletics journey.”
Photo credit: Hilton Kotze, Retruvent Media
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