‘A matter of time’: Tayla Kavanagh sets her sights on SA 10km record
· Citizen
Though she remains grounded in her ambitions, distance runner Tayla Kavanagh hopes her impressive form this year will convert to a solid performance on the track at the Commonwealth Games and a potential national record on the road.
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Kavanagh has been superb on the road and the track this year.
Her 5,000m personal best of 14:58.52 set at the national track and field championships in Stellenbosch in April ensured she booked her place in the SA team announced earlier this week for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next month.
And her latest performance on the road, winning the Spar Grand Prix 10km race in Durban on Sunday in 31:32 (her third sub-31:40 performance this year), indicated she was not only in good shape ahead of the Games, but also that her goal of breaking Glenrose Xaba’s SA 10km record of 31:12 was well within her reach.
Record in sight
Next weekend, Xaba was set to compete at the popular Peachtree race in Atlanta, and the following week Kavanagh was gearing up for the Absa Run Your City race in Durban, and both athletes were likely to challenge the national 10km mark.
“A lot of people have asked me if I’m going for the SA record, and it’s something I know is definitely in my sights and something I’d like to get this season,” Kavanagh said.
“I’m not too far away from it, but it’s still a bit of a reach, but I will say hopefully by the end of 2026 I will get to that goal, or see how close I can get to it… but I think it’s a matter of time.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on myself but I know on a good day if the race goes well I could have a good chance of breaking it.”
Commonwealth Games
After competing at the Absa race in Durban, Kavanagh confirmed she would switch her focus to the 5,000m event at the Commonwealth Games, and though she wanted to get the best out of herself, she was trying not to be overambitious.
“I’ll be racing against some of the best athletes in the world, so going in is about knowing my value and knowing what I’m capable of doing out there,” Kavanagh said.
“My goal is to see how far I can push myself against some of the best athletes in the world… and I’m really looking forward to challenging myself against a lot of fast women.”