Cian Oldknow runs like a pro as she races into Olympic mix

Cian Oldknow shook up SA’s Olympic marathon hopefuls as she produced the second-fastest time by an SA woman in her debut in a competitive 42.2km on Sunday, crossing the line in 2hr 25min 08sec in Seville, Spain.

The 27-year-old, who had completed a training run of 2:39 at Johnson Crane two weeks earlier, finished 15th in the Zurich Marathon de Sevilla, won by Ethiopian Azmera Gebru Hagos in 2:22:13.

Oldknow, who is better known at 5,000m, 10,000m, cross-country and even half-marathon, ran the race at such a consistent pace that it suggests there’s even a faster time lurking in the future.

Gerda Steyn tops the list of women marathoners eyeing the Paris Games later in 2024 with her 2:24:03 SA record from December. But Oldknow shifted Irvette van Zyl, who has a 2:26:11, into third spot.

Countries can enter up to three athletes, but US-based Dominique Scott is waiting in the wings to pounce as well, having run 2:27:31 in Chicago in October. The automatic qualifying time for Paris is 2:26:50.

Running in the men’s race Elroy Gelant narrowly missed the 2:08:10 qualifying mark, clocking a 2:08:55 personal best.