South African Double at Comrades 2026: Kusche and Steyn Win the Ultim…

PIETERMARITZBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — The 99th edition of the Comrades Marathon, and the historic 50th “Up Run”, delivered an unforgettable spectacle of human endurance today, culminating in a spectacular South African double. Data scientist George Kusche and the reigning queen of the road, Gerda Steyn, not only claimed the ultimate ultramarathon titles but completely rewrote the record books on the punishing route from Durban to Pietermaritzburg.

Men's Race: The Data Scientist Who Calculated a Masterclass

In what can only be described as a perfectly executed tactical triumph, 27-year-old George Kusche (Nedbank Running Club) clinched the men’s title in his very first “Up Run.” Crossing the finish line in a staggering 05:15:56, Kusche obliterated the 18-year-old course record of 05:24:49 set by Russian Leonid Shvetsov in 2008.

Maintaining an astonishing average pace of 3:41 min/km, Kusche passed the halfway mark at Drummond in 02:45:13. However, the race was far from a solo procession. Fellow South African debutant Mbuti Mollo broke away early, opening a daunting seven-minute lead over the chasing pack by the 60km mark. rocore.sbs

Kusche’s elite track speed—having transitioned from a sub-four-minute miler to an ultra-endurance athlete—proved to be his ultimate weapon. He methodically hunted Mollo down, making his decisive, unstoppable move past the fading leader with just over 10km remaining, near the gruelling Polly Shortts climb.

“I couldn’t believe with still 2km to go that I was going to win the race,” Kusche remarked in his post-race interview. “The speed training I did during the season really helped. I felt I was going a bit slow in those last kilometres, but when seeing the times, I was surprised to see my kilometre splits were still pretty quick.”

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Mollo showed immense grit, battling through brief walking breaks after the 68km mark to bravely hold on for third place in 05:21:31, securing the position of the first KwaZulu-Natal athlete home. Dutchman Piet Wiersma, the 2024 champion, displayed his characteristic late-race surge, chasing hard to claim second place in 05:19:36.

George Kusche: Elite Athlete Profile Spotlight

Kusche’s background is as impressive off the road as it is on it. The Malalane-born runner is a rare hybrid athlete who balances a highly demanding professional career with world-class endurance running.

Profile Category	Details
Education	BSc in Actuarial Sciences & Statistics (Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln); MSc in Statistics (Northern Arizona Univ.)
Profession	Full-time Data Scientist
Track Pedigree	800m (1:47.45); Mile (3:57.74); 5000m (13:28.95)
Comrades History	2025: 12th place (5:41:23) | 2026: 1st place & Up Run Record (5:15:56)

Women's Race: Steyn’s Unstoppable Reign Continues

The women’s race belonged to the undisputed queen of South African road running, Gerda Steyn. Claiming her fifth Comrades Marathon title, and her fourth consecutive victory, Steyn crossed the line with her trademark radiant smile in a breathtaking time of 05:44:53.

Not only did she crush her own “Up Run” record (05:49:46 set in 2024), but she also achieved the phenomenal feat of finishing 5th overall among all competitors, clocking an incredible average pace of 4:01 min/km.

Unlike previous years where she ran largely unchallenged, Steyn faced fierce early competition today. Zimbabwe’s Nobukhosi Tshuma applied serious pressure, pushing the champion for the first 55 to 60 kilometres. Ultimately, Steyn’s unmatched course knowledge, relentless stride, and effortless technique prevailed as she broke away, looking as comfortable in the final kilometre as she did in the first.

“This was one of my more comfortable runs that went according to plan,” Steyn stated at the finish line, showing virtually no signs of fatigue. When asked about her future ambitions in the Ultimate Human Race, her answer was a warning to her rivals: “I cannot wait to line up again, and just run my best times again.”

2026 Comrades Marathon Podium Results

Men’s Top 3

• 1st: George Kusche (RSA) — 05:15:56 (New Up Run Record)
• 2nd: Piet Wiersma (NED) — 05:19:36
• 3rd: Mbuti Mollo (RSA) — 05:21:31

Women’s Winner

• 1st: Gerda Steyn (RSA) — 05:44:53 (New Up Run Record / 5th Overall)
• 2nd: Nobukhosi Tshuma (ZIM) — 05:53:36
• 3rd: Irvette Van Zyl (RSA) — 06:02:30

A Lucrative Victory:

Both Kusche and Steyn’s record-breaking heroics have earned them substantial financial rewards. With R925,000 allocated for the win, plus an additional R605,000 incentive for breaking the “Up Run” records, today’s triumphant athletes will be taking home massive paydays to match their hard-earned gold medals.

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Ayakha Mathalane scored the first two international goals of his career to inspire South Africa to a convincing 4-0 victory over the United States on the third day of the FIH Men’s Hockey Nations Cup at the Hartleyvale Stadium in Cape Town.

After suffering defeat to France in their opening match on Thursday, national coach Devon van der Merwe was relieved to secure not only the win, but also four valuable goals, which could prove significant ahead of South Africa’s final Pool A clash against Ireland on Tuesday.

Playing in front of a packed Hartleyvale crowd, the hosts were made to work hard for the result. The United States defended resolutely, sitting deep in their own half and frustrating the South Africans by repelling wave after wave of attack.

Eventually, however, the pressure told and the space South Africa had been searching for finally appeared.

Reflecting on the performance, Van der Merwe said: “I think we were quite impatient in the first half because they were very resolute and worked well as a unit.

“In the second half they weren’t as dynamic, which opened up a bit of space for us. Our runners started finding their rhythm and we moved the ball with more conviction, finding gaps and making quality connections.”

It proved to be a memorable evening for the hosts. Alongside Mathalane’s maiden goals in national colours, Andrew Hobson celebrated his 50th appearance for South Africa.

Van der Merwe was particularly pleased for the young striker.

“What a moment that was for Ayakha,” he said. “He probably wasn’t at his best on the first night, but he settled beautifully and I think his confidence will grow tremendously from this performance.”

Having opened his international account, Mathalane admitted he had his sights set on adding to the tally.

“Scoring those two goals has put me in a good space and helped build momentum for the team,” he said.

“When I came back on, I just wanted to get another goal, both for the team and for myself, just to prove that I could do it. I think that helped put a lot more pressure on them.”

The only bad news for South Africa is that one of their key midfield players, Mustaphaa Cassiem, has been ruled out of the tournament with an ankle injury he suffered on Thursday.

Meanwhile, France moved to the top of Pool A with a hard-fought 2-0 victory over Ireland in a clash between the tournament’s two highest-ranked teams.

After weathering an energetic start from the Irish, who controlled much of the opening quarter, the French underlined their title credentials with goals from Xavier Esmenjaud and Timothée Clément to secure a second successive victory following their opening-day win over South Africa.

With Ireland ranked ninth in the world and France 10th, there is seldom much to separate the two sides – a fact acknowledged by both coaches, John-John Dohmen of France and Mark Tumilty of Ireland.

Unsurprisingly, Dohmen was the more satisfied of the two after the final whistle and praised the attitude shown by his players.

“We haven’t quite played at our highest level in this tournament, but we’ve been good and our mentality has been perfect, and that makes a difference between winning and losing,” he said. “There are still areas where we want to improve.

“Ireland played really well in the first quarter, then we grew into the game and managed to get the ball into the net.

“Ireland are always tough opponents for us. Sometimes we lose, sometimes we win, so we’re very happy to get the victory today.”

Dohmen also expressed his delight at the atmosphere created by the large crowd that packed into the stadium for a feast of international hockey.

“It’s very positive for hockey to have a crowd like that and it’s great for South African hockey,” he said. “I didn’t expect so many people, so I’m really happy to see it.”

Scorers:

France 2 (Xavier Esmenjaud, Timothée Clément); Ireland 0

South Africa 4 (Calvin Davis, Ayakha Mthalane 2, Kenton Melville)

Photo credits: Ray Chaplin Sports Media

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Malgré son exclusion de la Coupe du Monde 2026 après un refus d’entrée sur le territoire américain, l’arbitre somalien Omar Artan percevra l’intégralité des honoraires qu’il devait toucher durant la compétition. L’information a été révélée par la BBC, qui affirme que la FIFA a décidé de maintenir sa rémunération en dépit de son absence au […]

L’article Coupe du Monde 2026 : refoulé par les États-Unis, l’arbitre somalien Omar Artan sera tout de même rémunéré par la FIFA est apparu en premier sur Tchadinfos.

Après avoir quitté son poste d’adjoint de l’AS Monaco, Damien Perinelle va devenir le nouveau entraîneur du Red Star en remplacement de Grégory Poirier.

Le Red Star avait officialisé le départ de son entraîneur Grégory Poirier, en fin de contrat, après une 4e place lors de la saison passée et une qualification en playoffs d’accession à la Ligue 1 battu par Rodez. Pour remplacer l’ancien coach de Martigues, le club audonien a choisi Damien Perrinelle, d’après les informations du Parisien.

L’ancien joueur professionnel de 42 ans était entraîneur adjoint d’Adi Hutter puis de Sébastien Pocognoli à Monaco. Un club qu’il avait rejoint en 2024 où il a été coach des U21 entre 2022 et 2024 avant de devenir adjoint dans l’équipe professionnelle. Il retrouvera ses nouveaux jours pour la reprise de l’entraînement le 24 juin au centre d’entraînement du club à Marville.

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La Suède s’avance vers son entrée en Coupe du monde 2026 face à la Tunisie avec une grande partie de ses ambitions reposant sur son duo offensif : Alexander Isak et Viktor Gyökeres.

Deux attaquants au fort potentiel, mais dont la complémentarité reste encore à confirmer dans les grands rendez-vous.

Considérés comme les principales armes offensives de la sélection scandinave, les deux joueurs ont connu des trajectoires contrastées ces derniers mois. Isak a alterné les périodes de forme et les passages plus irréguliers, tandis que Gyökeres s’est imposé comme un élément décisif dans les moments clés de la qualification suédoise.

L’attaquant, souvent décrit comme un joueur de pression et de rupture, a notamment été l’un des hommes forts des barrages européens. Dans ces rencontres à forte intensité, il a su répondre présent, pesant sur les défenses adverses et participant activement à la qualification de la Suède, notamment lors des matchs décisifs où son efficacité a fait la différence.

Un test face à la défense tunisienne

En face, la Tunisie arrive avec une réputation solide sur le plan défensif. Très organisée et disciplinée, la sélection nord-africaine s’appuie sur un bloc compact capable de fermer les espaces et de limiter les occasions adverses.

Ce duel entre une attaque suédoise en quête de repères et une défense tunisienne bien structurée pourrait donc être l’une des clés de la rencontre.

Un match déjà important

Dans un groupe relevé, la pression est immédiate pour les deux sélections. La Suède espère lancer sa compétition grâce à ses individualités offensives, tandis que la Tunisie tentera de s’appuyer sur sa rigueur collective pour créer la surprise.

Isak et Gyökeres, attendus comme les leaders offensifs de la Suède, savent qu’ils seront particulièrement observés dès cette première sortie.

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