Karabo Mailula will not defend her Bestmed TuksRace 10km title on Saturday as she is off competing at the 2024 FISU World University Championships Cross Country in Oman. 

"I would have loved to race at Tuks, but I had to make a choice. I had good cross-country results last year, so I chose to go to Oman. ," the UP-Tuks student-athlete explained. 

The World University Championship Cross Country is one of the oldest FISU Championships. It was first hosted in 1968 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In March, Mailula will also compete at the World Athletics Cross-Country Championships in Serbia. She is not one to make bold predictions about what might happen over the weekend in Oman. 

"As I am still a novice in international racing, all I can promise is that I will not be racing to make up the numbers. The most important thing I learned from my coach, Caster Semenya, is to trust my abilities. If you don't, you are bound to fail."

The BEd student is undoubtedly on form. This past weekend, during AGN League Meet at Pilditch, she ran a massive personal best in the 5000 metres. Her winning time was 16:43.34. Her previous best time over the same distance was 17:58.00.

She genuinely took Caster Semenya's words about self-believe to heart. Last year, she won gold at the South African Cross-Country Championships and the USSA Cross Country Championships. She also competed at the FISU World University Games in China. 

 Mailula  was at her gutsiest best during the national cross-country champs in Gqeberha. During the 10-kilometer race, the athletes were challenged by severe windy conditions. According to Mailula, the weather was truly atrocious.

"I never expected such wind. I realised I could do nothing about it and took solace from the fact that it will impact everyone’s race. So, I focussed only on running to the best of my ability."

According to Semenya, she is not surprised by Mailula's results.

"She is an easy athlete to coach because she is on a quest to be the best she can be. The goal for Karabo this season is to get her to be consistently faster and to ensure she remains hungry to succeed.

"As a coach, I keep reminding my athletes that there is no limit to what they can achieve. But they should realise that success and humility go hand in hand. Having a balance in life is also essential. I expect my athletes not only to succeed when racing. Getting good exam results is equally important as winning a race."

As a coach, Semenya is undoubtedly making a difference at TuksAthletics. She guided the Tuks cross-country team to win the USSA Cross Country Championships in December, bagging nine medals (4 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze).