It was a moment of grit, grace, and glory for 21-year-old middle-distance runner Amanda Detshe, who clinched a silver medal at the U23 Athletics South Africa Championships in Cape Town last week. Competing in the punishing 3 000m steeplechase, Detshe clocked a personal best of 11:05.54 — a proud milestone for the Mandela University student and her coach, Leonardo de Villiers.
The race, held at Green Point Stadium, wasn’t just another lap around the track. It was the realisation of a vision her coach had spoken of months earlier. Back in January, when Detshe qualified for the 5 000m at the senior national championships (set to take place in Potchefstroom from April 25 to 26), De Villiers had already seen a steeplechase star in the making.
“She has a natural flair for the discipline,” he said. “With the right direction and preparation, I believed she could medal at the U23s.”
And that she did.
In a race that demands not only endurance but agility and strategy, Detshe held her own against the country’s best, finishing behind only Maricelle Kruger, who crossed the line in 10:47.78. For Detshe, the silver medal was the cherry on top of a powerful performance — but the personal best was the real prize.
“The race was very hard,” she admitted. “I felt like I was struggling a little, but I managed to position myself in the top three early on and stayed in the race until the end.”
That winning mentality came off the back of a tough decision and a targeted training approach. As the season progressed, the coaching duo made a pivotal call to focus on the steeplechase, forgoing the 5,000 m at this event — a tactical move considering the two races were just hours apart.
“It was unrealistic to do both,” said De Villiers. “So, we tailored her training specifically for the steeplechase.”
That meant upping her base mileage from 10km to 15km, fine-tuning her speed work, and – perhaps most crucially – zeroing in on technique. The water jump, often a make-or-break moment in the steeplechase, became a key training focus.
“If you don’t get that right, you can lose two to three seconds per jump,” De Villiers explained. “We trained her to push off with the correct leg, land once in the water, and transition smoothly back onto the track.”
It’s the kind of attention to detail that’s paying off. Just two weeks before nationals, Detshe had already broken her own record with a time of 11:26.20 at the USSA Eastern Cape meeting — making her latest personal best in Cape Town even sweeter.
Looking ahead, De Villiers is hopeful that Detshe can podium again at the senior national championships later this month. But he’s keeping it real.
“It will be tougher,” he admitted. “Maricelle Kruger will be there, and she’ll be joined by several top senior athletes. Plus, it’s at altitude, which adds another layer of challenge.”
Still, if recent performances are anything to go by, Amanda Detshe is more than up for it.
From a promising start to a steeplechase silver and beyond, this rising star is leaping into her future — one barrier at a time.
(adapted from press release)
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