Middle-distance specialist Tshepo Tshite prepares to make another ste…

Having made a successful step up to the 1,500m distance, Tshepo Tshite wants to go even further, and he looks to be on track to make a more permanent move to the 5,000m event.

A former 800m specialist, Tshite represented South Africa over two laps at the World Championships in 2019 and 2022.

In 2023, however, he began to focus on the metric mile. Since then he has competed over 1,500m at the 2023 and 2025 editions of the World Championships (progressing to the final in Tokyo last year) as well as the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. betsport.cv

In addition, he earned a silver medal at the African Athletics Championships in Ghana earlier this year and reached the final at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last month.

Most notably, over the last few years he has broken national records in the 1,500m event (3:31.35) on the international outdoor circuit, as well as the SA indoor records in the 1,500m (3:35.06), mile (3:54.10) and 3,000m (7:36.90) short track events on the indoor circuit.

Going further

This season he has shown potential over longer distances as well, setting a 5,000m personal best of 13:20.92 on the track at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo and a 10km career best of 28:09 on the road at the Absa Run Your City race in Gqeberha.

Over the weekend, Tshite launched a late kick to win the Hollywoodbets 10km race in Durban in 28:18.

And while he was not yet willing to commit to a permanent move up from the 1,500m event on the track, he felt if he could keep improving over longer distances he might set his eyes on the 5,000m races at next year’s World Athletics Championships in Beijing and the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“I’ve been trying to understand the 5,000m, and the faster I can run 10km, the better I will be in the 5,000m,” said 29-year-old Tshite, who is coached by Samuel Sepeng.

“Already I know I have the advantage of speed. That’s why I’ve been trying to master 10km. I know once I get that sub-28 (over 10km) my 5,000m will be much better and I’ll be able to run that distance at the World Championships or the Olympics.”

Assistant coach Mike Blair says the All Blacks aren’t wasting energy analysing Springbok lineups that may change and instead prepare for South Africa’s ethos, reports DEVIN HERMANUS.

Rassie Erasmus named the Bok 23 for Saturday’s third Test of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in Joburg on Monday. Cheslin Kolbe shifts to fullback for the injured Damian Willemse and the front row reverts to the combination Erasmus reshuffled on the eve of last week’s series-levelling 33-26 win in Cape Town.

“You take notice of it, but you take it with a pinch of salt as well,” Blair said at an All Blacks press conference in Newlands on Monday.

“Listening to what he said after the second Test about how he changed the team around depending on the weather, it shows that they’ve got the capability of doing that.

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“[An early team announcement] gives us an idea of what they might be thinking, but we’re not going to spend huge amounts of time planning for a certain individual in a certain position when we’re pretty aware that that can change right up until kick-off.

“We understand the South African DNA in terms of their game, how they defend. A lot of the individuals coming to that will fit within that system, so we prepare for the team’s ethos as opposed to the individuals.”

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He also addressed the significance of the third Test and playing at 94,000-seater FNB Stadium.

“You could argue the series would be won on whoever wins this game, because those are the three games in South Africa. We’re seeing it like that, as being a really important game for us,” the Scot added.

“If you win this one, then you’re not losing the series, so it certainly puts you in the driving seat.

“We heard 84,000 tickets have been sold already. That’s awesome for our guys. We love that. We love playing in front of a big crowd, showing everyone what we can do and expressing ourselves.”

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Blair noted the Kiwis had already moved past Saturday’s defeat.

“There’s a real solution-based mindset.

“Guys were down about the result, but you can’t afford to be down for too long. We know we’ve got this Test match and another Test match afterwards, so you can’t wallow for too long,” he added.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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Coach Rassie Erasmus has made four changes and one positional switch to the Springbok starting XV for Saturday’s third Test against the All Blacks at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg.

The front row of Ox Nché, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw, which started the second Test at Cape Town Stadium on the bench in a late change before kick-off, returns to the starting team, with Gerhard Steenekamp, Deon Fourie and Thomas du Toit moving to the bench.

An injury to Damian Willemse sees Cheslin Kolbe shift to fullback and Kurt-Lee Arendse drafted onto the right wing.

RASSIE: Kurt-Lee’s a quality player

With Handré Pollard unavailable due to a calf injury, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu retains the No 10 jersey with Manie Libbok again on the bench.

SPRINGBOKS – 15 Cheslin Kolbe, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nché.
Bench: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 André Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Morne van den Berg, 23 Manie Libbok.

FREE DIGI-MAG: Bok 100 club gets bigger!

Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images

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NAIROBI, Kenya, August 31, 2026 – Should they make history as the second Kenyan side to reach the Caf Women’s Champions League, Police Bullets will not merely return home with a trophy from the Cecafa qualifiers.

Each of the players could well be smiling to the bank thanks to a handsome financial reward from the club’s management.

While visiting the team at their training base in Kigali on Sunday, the club chair Nyale Munga promised a Ksh 2 million reward as well as individual goodies for players who stand out in the final against Kawempe Muslim Ladies from Uganda.

“Tomorrow, I will be here and I am sure I will entertain myself and then after that many things will come your way. I understand that my SG (secretary general) had already assured you that when you win he is going to give you Ksh 2 million. He had actually hinted to me and I accepted that,” Munga said.

The supremo promised that should the team keep a clean sheet, then goalkeeper Annedy Kundu will be in for a big surprise as will be her teammates who will get on the scoreboard.

“There is something for you, if you manage to keep a clean sheet. I don’t know if you will share it with your defenders. There will be something too for the attackers if they score,” he said.

A rapturous reception awaits the law enforcers beginning with a red carpet welcome at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Tuesday morning, culminating in a royal breakfast at the Serena Hotel — where club patron, and Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, is expected as the chief guest.

“We will be received by some traditional dancers and red carpet at JKIA and then after that we go straight to see the deputy patron and then we walk along Harambee Avenue with police band to where the patron is. After handing over the trophy to the patron, we will request him to walk with us to Serena,” Munga revealed.

He added: “We’ll go to Serena Hotel for breakfast with the patron and the IG (inspector general) and the deputy patron, the DIG (deputy inspector general) Kenya Police and other invited guests. That is a rare opportunity for a team like us to close all the roads in Nairobi because my girls are walking through to Serena. Don’t deny me that opportunity, please.”

Police Bullets clobbered South Sudan’s Yei Joint Stars 5-0 at the Kigali Pele Stadium on Saturday evening to reach the final.

It is their second time in the final, following on from 2024 when they lost 2-1 to Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE) in Tanzania.

Last year, they fell at the semis, losing 4-2 on post-match penalties to Tanzania’s Jeshi la Kujenga Taifa (JKT) at Nyayo Stadium.

Could 2026 be the year that Bullets finally hit the mark?

The bumper goodies that await them will surely have a huge say in that.

Le Real Madrid tient sa nouvelle recrue. Le club madrilène a officialisé ce lundi la signature de Sergio Martinez, jeune milieu de terrain de 19 ans en provenance du Racing Santander.

Les Merengue ont décidé d’activer sa clause libératoire, fixée à 3 millions d’euros, alors que le joueur était également suivi par plusieurs clubs en Angleterre, en Allemagne et en Arabie saoudite. Martinez s’est finalement engagé avec le Real Madrid jusqu’en juin 2030.

Dans un premier temps, le milieu espagnol évoluera avec le Castilla, où il devra poursuivre son développement et s’adapter aux exigences du club avant de pouvoir prétendre à une place avec l’équipe première. Une arrivée qui illustre une nouvelle fois la volonté du Real Madrid de miser sur de jeunes profils pour préparer les prochaines années.

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