Record Falls as More Than 3 000 Young Athletes Take Over Pilditch

Photo Credit: Charmaine Botes Visser

The growing event featured a record-breaking performance and introduced a new pathway for primary school athletes.

Pretoria, South Africa (25 September 2026) – A South African school athletics record that had survived for 46 years finally has a new name next to it.

Curro Hazeldean athlete Bintou Camara ran 23.91 seconds in the U16 girls’ 200m at the 2026 Curro Podium North meeting at Pilditch Stadium, breaking Evette de Klerk’s previous mark of 23.94 seconds set in 1980.

The performance was one of the highlights of a massive weekend of school athletics, with 3 282 athletes from 102 schools taking part.

That is more than double the size of the inaugural Curro Podium North event, showing just how quickly the competition has grown. Camara’s record-breaking run also earned her the Victrix Ludorum title as the best junior girls’ track athlete at the meeting.

The U17 girls’ 100m hurdles produced another tight finish, with Megan Maree taking gold in 13.25 seconds, followed by Megan Nieman in 13.33 and Janelle Kirkpatrick in 13.35. But it wasn’t only the high school athletes making an impression.

For the first time, primary school athletes were included in the Podium North pathway, with the chance to qualify for the 2027 Curro Podium Grand Finale.

A total of 1 058 primary school athletes from 33 schools competed, setting 89 records across the primary school events. Laerskool Lynnwood topped the primary school standings.

The high school section featured 2 224 athletes from 69 schools and was so large that an additional competition day was needed. Die Hoërskool Menlopark finished first overall, with Curro Hazeldean second.

For Curro Sport, the growth of the event is a sign of the depth of talent coming through South African schools.

“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.”

And now, after nearly half a century, there is a new name attached to one of South African school athletics’ longest-standing records.