Tayla Kavanagh dominated the women’s race in wet conditions at the ASA 10km Championships in Bloemfontein on Saturday in the absence of defending champion Glenrose Xaba, her winning time of 33:05 crowning a phenomenal year for the distance running star from Durban.
Chris Mhlanga won a sprint finish in the men’s race at the national championships, which were incorporated in the Northridge Mall Marathon.
Kavanagh lived up to the hype as the pre-race favourite in the women’s contest, with the in-form athlete winning gold for KwaZulu-Natal Athletics (KZNA). She finished more than a minute ahead of Karabo Mailula, who earned the silver medal for the second year in a row in 34:20. Her AGN teammate Elizabeth Hutamo ended third in 34:59 to take the bottom step on the podium.
Having enjoyed a breakthrough season over the 10km distance, climbing to fourth place in the all-time South Africans rankings and dipping under 32 minutes on two occasions, Kavanagh said she was delighted to close out her 2025 campaign in style.
“I’m really thrilled with how today’s race went. The goal was to take the win today. That was the aim to end the year, so I was just really pleased with how I executed the race and could come away with the win,” Kavanagh said.
“The rain made the roads a little bit slippery, so on the corners you had to be cautious and my hands went out every now and then just to find my balance. But yesterday we had a particularly hot day here (in Bloemfontein), so I was quite pleased that today was a bit cooler. I do prefer cooler conditions, so I would say the conditions were pretty good.”
La Finale = Success 🤌
Chris Mhlanga closes off his 2025 campaign with a first National Title on the 10km
To many Chris 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/429R8yrVp7
— Athletics South Africa (@AthleticsSA_) November 15, 2025
Mhlanga held on for a narrow victory, securing his first national title in the colours of Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) in 29:00. He was pushed all the way to the line by 20-year-old Musawenkosi Mnisi, representing Athletics Gauteng North (AGN), who also finished in 29:00. Ultra-distance runner Onalenna Khonkhobe grabbed the bronze medal in 29:07 for Athletics Central North West (ACNW).
“It was a bit of a hard race, especially with all the sharp turns on the route and the mud because the roads were wet. It was quite challenging,” said Mhlanga, who is preparing to represent South Africa at the World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee in January.
It was Kavanagh’s second national 10km title, with the first one a shock result in 2021. Her promising career was then disrupted by injury woes, while a break with her coach earlier this year also threatened to throw her career off track once more.
Fortunately for the diminutive runner, that decision has been vindicated.
“It was a big change for me. I did initially struggle because you never quite know what’s going to happen. I did take quite a big risk with that and looking back at that now, being the last race, I’m so happy now with the decision I made,” she said.
“I think I know my body best now, I know what works for me. It’s been a good change for me, physically and mentally.”
The Return of Kavanagh
Tayla’s comeback trail continues as she clinches a National 10km Title in Bloemfontein 🫡
Let us make you guys aware that the lady has got some big plans for 2026 season 😤 pic.twitter.com/FEAYycWbJg
— Athletics South Africa (@AthleticsSA_) November 15, 2025
Kavanagh is ready to keep testing her boundaries next year.
“Going into 2026 I do have some really big goals. I’m just looking forward to seeing how much more I can get out of myself. I decided to stick to the shorter distances, so my 5km and 10km is what I’m really wanting to work on,” she said.
“I’m still really young – I’m still 24 – and I think a lot of people forget about that and think I’m Glenrose’s age. Compared to most of my competitors I’m still quite young. I’ve really enjoyed racing the 5km and 10km this year and I really think there’s still a lot to give within that distance.”
Xaba missed the defence of her title as she is gearing up for next month’s Valencia Marathon in Spain.
