Adriaan Wildschutt has broken the South African short track 5,000m record, thanks to an electric performance in Boston!
Boston, USA (05 March 2025) — Adriaan Wildschutt has kicked off his season like a cheetah on roller skates, knocking another record off its feet in the process.
At the Boston University Last Chance meet, the South African long-distance athlete managed to break the South African record for the short track 5,000m—a record he had previously set himself.
“Wildschutt clocked 12:55.02 over 25 laps of the indoor track. He took second place behind American athlete Nico Young, who won the race in 12:51.56,” reported Athletics South Africa, adding that the young star has been on a record-breaking spree.
The latest record officially makes Adriaan the fastest athlete at this distance nationwide, on either indoor or outdoor tracks. It came as his first race in 6 months, just as the iconic record he broke in 2023 came as a comeback of note in which he shattered a record that had stood firmly for decades. In 2024, he broke six records!
“The more Adriaan focuses on improving his times, the more he edge’s closer to clipping the the next national record,” President of Athletics South Africa, JamesMoloi said.
“This is basically how he began his record-breaking spree season last year. He started early in the year and persisted until he set multiple national records the previous year and this season his focus must be to bring his times closure to competing for the World Champs podium. So, congratulations to Adriaan, coach and support staff!”
This follows other exciting news where records were defeated by young South African athletes, including Prudence Sekgodiso and Tshepo Tshite, who recently made South Africa proud thanks to the new records they set on international indoor tracks!
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