Olympic glory beckons for East London’s premier long distance runner Lusapho April as he heads off to compete at the Rio Games in Brazil.
April departs from East London tomorrow and this will give him plenty of time to acclimatise and adjust before the marathon event which takes place on Sunday August 21.
“I am very excited to get out there and experience another Olympics,” said April. “It also gives me enough time to acclimatise because conditions there are quite different so it is an adjustment and I will need a bit of time to ready myself.”
This will be his second appearance at the Olympic Games following his showing for Team SA at the London Olympics in 2012, where a fall during the race put paid to any chances of his winning a medal.
“This time around the preparation really went well and I am really positive that come the 21st I will do something special,” said April.
“I am fresh, healthy and injury-free compared to four years ago when I really struggled and went to the starting line not feeling at my best.”
So far this year April has enjoyed some impressive performances including winning his third Hannover Marathon title in Germany, while he also won the Siza Vitality half-marathon a lot closer to home in Port Alfred, among other fine results.
However, the last few months for him have been very training-orientated with just a couple of races to keep him sharp.
“I have just been training the whole time for the past few months,” explained April. “Last week I did the SA half-marathon championships in PE of which I did really well for me; I ran a 62:39 half and I felt good and didn’t even feel tired, so those are good signs that I am ready for the Olympics.”
Once he arrives in Brazil it will be the final stages of April’s preparation’s, so he will just be looking to fine tune himself ahead of the massive race. It will be the biggest race of his career and he has the talent to challenge the world’s best, so come August 21 East London could very well have another world champion.
“I already have a plan of what I will be doing there for the couple of weeks before the race, I have a training schedule but I will be cutting down and not doing as much as I have been doing here so that I can stay fresh and fit and not pick up any injury,” said April.
“This time I will be going there standing on that race line knowing very well that I have done the work and I am positive that I will deliver a good result.
“I have a plan of how I want to run my race and I think it is going to work perfectly so that it puts me in the right place to push for a medal.”
Last week Friday April’s major sponsor, Jumbo, held a farewell for him at their branch in Chiselhurst to wish him well and with him as their brand Ambassador they hold high hopes for him at the Olympics.
“Lusapho is one of the best in South Africa and we are very proud to be involved with him and wish him all of the best,” said Jumbo CEO Alan Scheckter.
“Myself and I am sure the whole Jumbo team will be glued to the TV when he runs and cheering him on.”
April also expressed his gratitude for the help he has received from his sponsor over the years.
“I am very happy with Jumbo – it helps to have a sponsor like them as you don’t have to worry about anything – just focus on delivering good results and I hope the relationship with Jumbo can continue for many more years,” said April.
April aims to conquer the world
April departs from East London tomorrow and this will give him plenty of time to acclimatise and adjust before the marathon event which takes place on Sunday August 21.
“I am very excited to get out there and experience another Olympics,” said April. “It also gives me enough time to acclimatise because conditions there are quite different so it is an adjustment and I will need a bit of time to ready myself.”
This will be his second appearance at the Olympic Games following his showing for Team SA at the London Olympics in 2012, where a fall during the race put paid to any chances of his winning a medal.
“This time around the preparation really went well and I am really positive that come the 21st I will do something special,” said April.
“I am fresh, healthy and injury-free compared to four years ago when I really struggled and went to the starting line not feeling at my best.”
So far this year April has enjoyed some impressive performances including winning his third Hannover Marathon title in Germany, while he also won the Siza Vitality half-marathon a lot closer to home in Port Alfred, among other fine results.
However, the last few months for him have been very training-orientated with just a couple of races to keep him sharp.
“I have just been training the whole time for the past few months,” explained April. “Last week I did the SA half-marathon championships in PE of which I did really well for me; I ran a 62:39 half and I felt good and didn’t even feel tired, so those are good signs that I am ready for the Olympics.”
Once he arrives in Brazil it will be the final stages of April’s preparation’s, so he will just be looking to fine tune himself ahead of the massive race. It will be the biggest race of his career and he has the talent to challenge the world’s best, so come August 21 East London could very well have another world champion.
“I already have a plan of what I will be doing there for the couple of weeks before the race, I have a training schedule but I will be cutting down and not doing as much as I have been doing here so that I can stay fresh and fit and not pick up any injury,” said April.
“This time I will be going there standing on that race line knowing very well that I have done the work and I am positive that I will deliver a good result.
“I have a plan of how I want to run my race and I think it is going to work perfectly so that it puts me in the right place to push for a medal.”
Last week Friday April’s major sponsor, Jumbo, held a farewell for him at their branch in Chiselhurst to wish him well and with him as their brand Ambassador they hold high hopes for him at the Olympics.
“Lusapho is one of the best in South Africa and we are very proud to be involved with him and wish him all of the best,” said Jumbo CEO Alan Scheckter.
“Myself and I am sure the whole Jumbo team will be glued to the TV when he runs and cheering him on.”
April also expressed his gratitude for the help he has received from his sponsor over the years.
“I am very happy with Jumbo – it helps to have a sponsor like them as you don’t have to worry about anything – just focus on delivering good results and I hope the relationship with Jumbo can continue for many more years,” said April.
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