Responsive image
Latest News

More than 3,000 athletes take on Curro Podium North at Pilditch

21 September 2026

Three and a half hours of 200m heats told the story of Curro Podium North before the final medals had even been decided.

On Friday alone, an average of 15 heats were needed in each age category for the 200m. Across the primary and high school competitions, figures supplied by Curro Sport put participation at more than 3,000 athletes.

For Cindy van der Merwe, Portfolio Manager for Curro Sport, watching those races at Pilditch Stadium brought the scale of the event into focus.

‘Watching the 200m heats on Friday gave me gooseflesh moments,’ says Cindy. ‘We have so much athletic talent in South African and to think that Curro has created this platform for these athletes to showcase their talents is incredible!’

Curro Sport and Curro Hazeldean hosted the 2026 Curro Podium North at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria on 18 and 19 September. The series, launched in 2023, has grown into a substantial fixture on the school athletics calendar.

 

 Photo credit: Ruvent media

 

Primary athletes enter the qualification picture

This year brought a significant development for younger athletes.

The primary school meeting drew 1,058 competitors from 33 schools, with 89 records broken, according to Cindy. For the first time, performances at the event could also earn primary school athletes qualification for the 2027 Curro Podium Grand Finale.

Lynnwood Primary School won the primary school competition.

Six Curro schools finished inside the top 15. Curro Hazeldean placed sixth and Woodhill College seventh, followed by Curro Nelspruit in 10th. HeronBridge College finished 11th, Curro Serengeti 13th and Curro Thatchfield 15th.

Curro Rivonia’s Keith Munyukwi produced one of the individual performances of the meeting. He won both the 100m and 200m and was named Victor Ludorum.

 

 Photo credit: Ruvent media

 

A high school programme stretched by demand

The high school component brought 2,224 athletes from 69 schools to Pilditch.

Those numbers required an expanded programme and an additional competition day. The long sequence of Friday 200m heats offered perhaps the clearest indication of how much the field had grown.

Curro Hazeldean finished second in the combined high school standings behind Menlopark Hoërskool, with Noordheuwel Hoërskool third.

The school also topped the boys’ competition, ahead of Menlopark Hoërskool and Afrikaans Hoër Seuns.

Among the individual Curro performances, Bintou Camara of Curro Hazeldean was named Victrix Ludorum for junior girls’ track and field. She scored 988 points in the 100m and the maximum 1,000 points in the 200m.

Curro Hazeldean’s girls placed third overall, behind Menlopark Hoërskool and Afrikaans Hoër Meisies.

 

Photo credit: Ruvent media

 

The people running the meeting

An event of this scale also depends on the staff working around the track.

Cindy singled out Manus Hendricks and the Curro Hazeldean team involved in delivering the meeting.

‘Tebogo Radebe, Maretha van der Linde, Anru Nel and Jerome Biljon – thank you for flying the Curro flag so high.’

She also thanked the host school and those involved across its primary and high school sections.

‘Thank you to Curro Hazeldean, the hosting school for this event, to both the primary and high school staff and learners, for your exceptional commitment, passion and contribution to the roaring success of the event.’

Curro Sport also acknowledged aQuelle as the event’s hydration partner.

 

 Photo credit: Ruvent media

 

From the youngest athletes chasing a first Grand Finale qualification to a high school programme that needed hours of heats to accommodate its field, this year’s Podium North showed how far the series has expanded since its 2023 launch. For Cindy, the lasting image was simple: lane after lane of young athletes getting their turn on the track.

 

Combined

  1. Menlopark Hoërskool
  2. Curro Hazeldean
  3. Noordheuwel Hoërskool
  4. Helpmekaar Kollege
  5. Montana Hoërskool
  6. Zwartkop Hoërskool
  7. Waterkloof Hoërskool
  8. Monument Hoërskool
  9. Marais Viljoen Hoërskool
  10. Dr Malan Hoërskool
  11. Garsfontein Hoërskool
  12. Nelspruit Hoërskool
  13. Prestige College
  14. Klerksdorp Hoërskool
  15. Transvalia Hoërskool
  16. Tuks Sport High School
  17. HTS Middelburg
  18. Eldoraigne Hoërskool
  19. Randburg Hoërskool
  20. Kempton Park Hoërskool
  21. Rustenburg Hoërskool
  22. Secunda Hoërskool
  23. Nylstroom Hoërskool
  24. Queens High School
  25. Randpark High School
  26. Sutherland High School
  27. Hans Moore Hoërskool
  28. Dinamika Hoërskool
  29. Ferdinand Postma High School
  30. Curro Aurora
  31. Middelburg Hoërskool
  32. Curro Heuwelkruin
  33. Uitsig High School
  34. Northern Academy
  35. Pietersburg Hoërskool
  36. Leeuwenhof Akademie
  37. HeronBridge College
  38. Curro Thatchfield
  39. Curro Soshanguve
  40. Meridian Cosmo City
  41. Bekker Hoërskool
  42. Meridian Karino
  43. Curro Riverside
  44. Curro Midrand Sagewood
  45. Curro Helderwyk
  46. Curro Vanderbijlpark
  47. Curro Parkdene
  48. Curro Clayville
  49. Curro Wilgeheuwel

 

Girls

  1. Menlopark Hoërskool
  2. Afrikaans Hoër Meisies
  3. Curro Hazeldean
  4. Montana Hoërskool
  5. Noordheuwel Hoërskool
  6. Helpmekaar Kollege
  7. Waterkloof Hoërskool
  8. Monument Hoërskool
  9. Zwartkop Hoërskool
  10. Marais Viljoen Hoërskool
  11. Nelspruit Hoërskool
  12. Oranje Meisieskool
  13. Dr Malan Hoërskool
  14. Garsfontein Hoërskool
  15. Klerksdorp Hoërskool
  16. Eldoraigne Hoërskool
  17. Kempton Park Hoërskool
  18. Transvalia Hoërskool
  19. HTS Middelburg
  20. Randburg Hoërskool
  21. Tuks Sport High School
  22. Rustenburg Hoërskool
  23. Prestige College
  24. Secunda Hoërskool
  25. Nylstroom Hoërskool
  26. Queens High School
  27. Dinamika Hoërskool
  28. Randpark High School
  29. Ferdinand Postma High School
  30. Hans Moore Hoërskool
  31. Pretoria High School for Girls
  32. Pietersburg Hoërskool
  33. Sutherland High School
  34. Curro Aurora
  35. Uitsig High School
  36. Northern Academy
  37. Curro Heuwelkruin
  38. Curro Soshanguve
  39. Leeuwenhof Akademie
  40. Middelburg Hoërskool
  41. Meridian Cosmo City
  42. HeronBridge College
  43. Curro Thatchfield
  44. Bekker Hoërskool
  45. Curro Helderwyk
  46. Meridian Karino
  47. Curro Midrand Sagewood
  48. Curro Clayville
  49. Curro Vanderbijlpark
  50. Curro Parkdene
  51. Curro Riverside
  52. Curro Wilgeheuwel

 

Boys

  1. Curro Hazeldean
  2. Menlopark Hoërskool
  3. Afrikaans Hoër Seuns
  4. Pretoria Boys High School
  5. Noordheuwel Hoërskool
  6. Zwartkop Hoërskool
  7. Helpmekaar Kollege
  8. Prestige College
  9. Waterkloof Hoërskool
  10. Monument Hoërskool
  11. Montana Hoërskool
  12. Tuks Sport High School
  13. Garsfontein Hoërskool
  14. Dr Malan Hoërskool
  15. Transvalia Hoërskool
  16. King Edward VII School
  17. Marais Viljoen Hoërskool
  18. Nelspruit Hoërskool
  19. HTS Middelburg
  20. Randburg Hoërskool
  21. Klerksdorp Hoërskool
  22. Eldoraigne Hoërskool
  23. Rustenburg Hoërskool
  24. Kempton Park Hoërskool
  25. Secunda Hoërskool
  26. Sutherland High School
  27. Nylstroom Hoërskool
  28. Middelburg Hoërskool
  29. Northcliff High School
  30. Randfontein High School
  31. HTS Tom Naude
  32. Hans Moore Hoërskool
  33. Queens High School
  34. Curro Serengeti
  35. Randpark High School
  36. Dinamika Hoërskool
  37. Curro Heuwelkruin
  38. Curro Aurora
  39. Ferdinand Postma High School
  40. Uitsig High School
  41. Curro Thatchfield
  42. HeronBridge College
  43. Northern Academy
  44. Leeuwenhof Akademie
  45. Curro Riverside
  46. Northriding College
  47. Bekker Hoërskool
  48. Meridian Cosmo City
  49. Meridian Karino
  50. Pietersburg Hoërskool
  51. Curro Midrand Sagewood
  52. St Alban's College
  53. Curro Vanderbijlpark
  54. Curro Soshanguve
  55. Curro Helderwyk
  56. Curro Parkdene
  57. Curro Edenvale
  58. Curro Wilgeheuwel
  59. Curro Clayville

Individual

  • Annabelle Blignaut (Monument) — Shotput: 979; Discus: 955
  • Camara Bintou (Curro Hazeldean) — 100m: 988; 200m: 1 000
  • Johanne Lamprecht (Montana) — Shotput: 1 000; Discus: 975
  • Megan Nieman (Menlopark) — 100mH: 975; 200m: 967
  • Ewald Taljaard (Leeuwenhof) — Shotput: 1 000; Discus: 904
  • Tommie Cronje (Menlopark) — 1500mSc: 1 000; 3000m: 885
  • Jaco van Dyk (Menlopark) — Shotput: 1 000; Discus: 924
  • Bulela Mganu (TUKS Sport School) — 1500m: 967; 3000m: 965

 

 Photo credit: Ruvent media