MBABANE - Bongani Jele spearheaded a stellar day for Eswatini at the Comrades Marathon.
Jele finished as the fastest liSwati on a historic day when course records tumbled in South Africa on June 14. Official results confirm that Jele crossed the finish line in a spectacular 06:18:23 hours, comfortably dethroning last year’s leading compatriot, Maxwell Nzima, who finished in 07:00:06. Running for the Nedbank Running Club but attached locally to Golden Foot, Jele’s superb tactical pacing secured him 86th place overall and 55th in his category.
His performance earned him the coveted Comrades silver medal, reserved strictly for those finishing between six hours and 07:29:59. Meanwhile, Nokuthula Mkhabela flew the flag for Eswatini’s women's contingent, clocking 09:02:52 to finish as the fastest liSwati in the ladies' division.
While Eswatini’s athletes shone, the 99th edition of the world's oldest and largest ultramarathon, which is contested by 21 633 entrants over an arduous 85.77-kilometre ‘up run’’ from Durban to Pietermaritzburg, saw the global elite rewrite the history books. South Africa’s George Kusche claimed the men's title in a record-breaking 5:15:56 hours, while the phenomenal Gerda Steyn shattered the women’s course record to secure her fifth title in a staggering 5:44:53 hours.
For distance runners across the globe, the Comrades Marathon remains the ultimate pilgrimage, testing human endurance to its absolute limits over the brutal hills of KwaZulu-Natal. For Eswatini's finest, Jele and Mkhabela’s stellar performances on this legendary international stage reinforce the kingdom’s growing stature within the global ultra-running community.
Bongani Jele finished the Comrades Marathon under seven hours.