Running sensation Colleen Cozett brought home three gold medals from the SA Masters Games in Port Elizabeth.

Colleen, a teacher at Soutpansberg Primary School, is now the South African Masters Champion in the 100m, 200m and 400m in the age group 30 to 34 years.

The World Masters Championships in 2007 in Italy will see Colleen in action as one of the competitors. By then she will have turned 35, which is the minimum age for international masters competitions.

At the SA Masters, hosted from April 27 until 29, all sporting codes were represented. Colleen ran the 400m and 100m on the 29th amidst rain and a gale-force wind.

“With the 400m race, I decided that in this storm I had to stay ahead of everyone from the word go,” Colleen said. She ended about six meters ahead of her nearest opponent and finished the race in 62.53s. In the 100m, her time was 12.92s and she finished the 200m in 26.92s. The weather on the other days was perfect.

Competitors came from all the provinces of the country, as well as from Barbados, India and Ireland.

“I enjoyed speaking to them as well as watching the guest runner, the 110m hurdles athlete, Shaun Bownes,” said Colleen. Shaun got gold for South Africa at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, in 2002.

Colleen says that the 400m is her favourite race although she only attempted this item recently when her husband and coach, Marlin, and her school’s principal, Mr John Whiteley, encouraged her to do so.

“My husband, who is a sport officer at the Air Force Base, is still my coach. However, I was approached by coaches at the SA Masters who said they would bring me in contact with an additional professional coach in Polokwane.”

The Cozett family thanked all who sponsored the trip to Port Elizabeth, including Da Silva Chemist, Bonds Cellular, Hester Horn and sponsors from the Air Force Base.

“What made it so special was that all the educators at Soutpansberg Primary gave sponsorships. We appreciate the support from the school, the community, and the Air Force Base,” the Cozetts said.