Glenrose Xaba snubs World Championships despite qualification

Xaba, who shattered the national marathon record on debut at last year’s Cape Town Marathon, stunned her fans and the athletics fraternity by pulling out of what would have been her first World Championships appearance.

Her decision, made after talks with her manager Lee-Roy Newton and her coaching team led by Caster and Violet Semenya, has raised eyebrows.

The 30-year-old made the announcement just moments after storming to victory at the Hollywoodbets Durban 10km in 31:34, narrowly missing her own national record of 31:12.

She pocketed R37 500 and set a new course record, continuing her dominant streak after recent wins in the Spar Women’s 10km and Absa Run Your City Tshwane 10km. 

Lesotho’s Neheng Khatala (31:44) and Kenya’s Fridah Ndinda (33:05) followed her home, but it was Xaba’s bombshell withdrawal — not her victory — that stole the headlines.

Xaba insists the withdrawal was necessary because she has not followed a proper marathon training program, despite her record-breaking debut.

“My manager said I’m still a baby in marathons and can’t just jump from a track program to a marathon at the World Champs. The stage is too big, and it needs a lot more preparation. Yes, I qualified, but we didn’t do the program,” she told SABC Sport.

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However, critics might argue that with her form and pedigree — holding national records in the 42.2km, 21km, and 10km — Xaba has the opportunity to test her herself on the world stage against some of the best marathon runners in the world rather than sitting out, but she insists that she is not ready to step up.

Xaba herself admits she was desperate to qualify in the 5000m or 10 000m to experience the track atmosphere of the World Championships but fell short.

“It was not an easy decision. I was excited when I qualified last year, but my manager told me I’m not strong enough yet,” she said.