Meet Dylan Calvert, a talented 10-year-old athlete from Curro’s Meridian Pinehurst in Cape Town, who has taken the track scene by storm.
Dylan secured his place in the upcoming South African Primary Schools Championships taking place from this Sunday to next Tuesday in Limpopo.
His remarkable performance at the Western Cape Primary Schools Championships has garnered national recognition and admiration after he clinched gold in both the boys’ Under-10 80m and 100m sprint events.
His journey to the top has been nothing short of spectacular.
Dylan shattered the provincial record in the boys’ U10 80m sprint final, clocking an astonishing 10.73 seconds and his exceptional speed and determination have propelled him to stand as the fastest athlete in his division in the Western Cape.
“Dylan has a bright future ahead of him and this marks the beginning of a successful journey,” says Ian Permall, Sports Coordinator at Curro Meridian Pinehurst.
“Who knows, he may even become the next world record holder. We are privileged to have such great talent at our school and fully support him as he gears up for the National Championships.”
Dylan says: “I'm thankful for the opportunities that have come my way and am excited for the Championships. I am training long and hard and I aim to perform my best on the day."
Inspired by his hometown hero, Wayde van Niekerk, the talented laaitie adds: “He [Van Niekerk] always motivates me to do better, whether it is during training sessions or competitions. “My ambition is to continuously seek to do my best, break records and chase preferably gold medals.”
Coach Eugene Atkins says the youngster showed talent right from the start.
“I knew he was going to excel as he puts in a lot of effort during training sessions. He displayed great character and determination throughout the season,” Atkins adds.