Twenty-one-year-old middle-distance runner Amanda Detshe is making waves in the athletics space with her latest accomplishment being a silver medal and smashing her personal best time at the U23 Athletics South Africa Championships in Cape Town.
Eastern Cape, South African (07 April 2025) – Middle-distance runner Amanda Detshe hasn’t just made her coach proud but also has us cheering for her from the virtual sidelines after securing silver in a personal best time in the taxing 3,000m steeplechase at the U23 Athletics South Africa Championships in Cape Town last week!
The 21-year-old, who trains under former provincial star Leonardo de Villiers, caught his eye in January when she qualified for the 5,000m at the senior national championships, which will take place in Potchefstroom from April 25 to 26.
At the time, he noted that Detshe had a flair for the steeplechase discipline and that, with the right direction and preparation, she could medal in the U23s.
As the season progressed, they made a strategic decision to prioritise the steeplechase for the remainder of 2025, and it paid off handsomely at the Green Point Stadium.
Grabbing silver in Cape Town was no easy task, though:
“The race was very hard. I felt like I was struggling a little but managed to position myself in the top three early on and stayed in the race until the end,” she explained.
There was a great sense of relief and an equal dose of excitement in her camp afterwards as she turned her short-term goal into reality.
De Villiers explained that focusing on the 3,000m steeplechase meant making sacrifices in event selection.
“At meetings like these, you sometimes have to choose. Since the 5,000m took place just two hours before the steeplechase, it was unrealistic to do both.”
As part of the transition to the steeplechase, De Villiers adjusted her training programme to meet the event’s demands.
Detshe is undoubtedly an athlete to watch out for as De Villiers sees the upcoming nationals as another opportunity for her to podium.
Sources: Supplied
Don’t ever miss the Good Things. Download the Good Things Guy App now on Apple or Google.
Do you have something to add to this story? Please share it in the comments or follow GoodThingsGuy on Facebook & Twitter to keep up to date with good news as it happens, or share your good news with us by clicking here or click the link below to listen to the Good Things Guy Podcast with Brent Lindeque – South Africa’s very own Good Things Guy. He’s on a mission to change what the world pays attention to, and he truly believes there’s good news around us. In the Good Things Guy podcast, you’ll meet these everyday heroes & hear their incredible stories:
Or watch an episode of Good Things TV below, a show created to offer South Africans balance in a world with what feels like constant bad news. We’re here to remind you that there are still so many good things happening in South Africa & we’ll leave you feeling a little more proudly South African.
by 