SOUTH AFRICAN HURDLER MARIONÉ FOURIE: “I SEE MYSELF IN THE TOP THREE IN THE WORLD"
South African hurdler Marioné Fourie had high career goals, but she never expected to reach the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Within four years of graduating, Fourie had set a national record and won four consecutive South African 100m hurdles titles.
The 22-year-old's achievements make local athletes jealous, but she knows she needs to develop to be a world-class athlete.
“My fastest season opener ever. But 12.9, 12.8, and 12.7 are too sluggish in the 100m hurdles compared to the world's best, Fourie told Olympics.com.
Fourie, a top junior athlete in the country, attended Driehoek High School in Vanderbijlpark but never reached the podium.
At the 2021 World Athletics U20 Championships in Kenya, Fourie made her international debut for South Africa, finishing third in her semi.
Next year, she won bronze in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 African Athletics Championships in Mauritius, finishing behind Nigerian world record holder Tobi Amusan.
The record was broken by African 400m hurdles silver medalist Taylon Bieldt in Italy in June 2023 with a time of 12.76s.
Fourie was poised to make her first World Championships final in Budapest after a streak of excellent performances.
Fourie wants to succeed internationally after dominating the local track scene.