Athletes with hopes of maybe competing at next year's Tokyo Olympics are nowadays getting more advice than they need or want while they are training. Some have even become "video stars". 

Two of Tuks's long jumpers, Jovan van Vuuren and Helene Peens, were this week's training in the street of a Pretoria East suburb. Sprinting with a mask is not fun. You start to feel the heat more quickly. As a consequence, they began to remove some clothing. 

By the time they were down to wearing only tights and t-shirts, a motorist stopped next to them. According to Peens, the man was quite upset. 

"He immediately started to berate me for being underdressed. Telling me, I am at risk of getting double pneumonia. He continued by saying Jovan has to make sure I am adequately dressed when outside. Jovan was also only wearing a t-shirt, but that did not seem to bother him. Needless to say, he totally caught us off guard. I am not a feminist, but the man's tirade got me thinking." 

According to Peens shortly afterward another motorist stopped to take photos and video while they were sprinting down the street. It might be because it created the impression of “runaway robbers”.

To sprint with a mask is apparently quite challenging. 

"While running, we often experienced quite a bit of carbon dioxide built-up. It is not pleasant. After every sprint, you need to take off the mask to recover. If you don't, it feels like your eyes dry out, and your throat starts to itch" explained Peens.

Being street sprinters is not by choice. The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown has forced Neil Cornelius as a coach to start thinking outside the box. 

"During level five lockdown, we were constrained as to what we could do. Now at least I can get Helene and Jovan to improve their speed. Running on tar roads is however far from ideal if you are a track and field athlete."

Peens is starting to complain about shin splints while Van Vuuren is getting worried about his knee. Both can't wait to be back on track. 

"There is a definite thrill to long jumping. The moment you take off the adrenaline kicks in. For that few milliseconds, it feels like you flying. The landing is not always a thrill. It can be quite hard. There are times it feels like your breath gets knocked out of you, but still, it remains fun'. I would guess in a way you can say we as athletes get addicted to what we do," Van Vuuren explained. 

His best effort of 8.10m ranks him as one of South Africa's ten all-time best long jumpers.

Over the last 18 months, Peens has improved on her best distance by 40 centimeters. Currently, it stands at 6.21m. The Tuks athlete was fourth during the previous year's national championships. Unfortunately, an untimely back injury has sidelined her for quite a few months.