Antonio Alkana is Bellville Athletics Club’s Athlete of the year for 2017.  He represented South Africa at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and again made the National Team to compete at the IAAF World Championships in London 2017, reaching the semi-finals in the process.  During this season, he bettered the National and African Record for the 110m Hurdles to a time of 13.11s.  This time ranked him 7th on the IAAF Rankings for 2017.  Even more remarkable is that it places him 38th on the All Time Rankings for 110m Hurdles.

 

Antonio’s success did not happen overnight.  He joined Bellville Athletics Club 8 years ago and through dedicated training under the guidance of his coach, Marcel Otto, he made steady progress through those 8 years.  In 2015, he made his first appearance on the World Stage at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.  It was a good feeling to dress in the National Kit and he still feels honoured whenever he gets a chance to represent South Africa.

 

For anyone who has a dream he has the following advice: “Set goals for yourself and have a plan on how you want to reach those goals.  Believe in yourself.  Trust in your coach and communicate the plans you have with him.  You will not reach your goals over-night.  It may take a season or two.”