AFTER meeting the London Olympic standard with his second-place finish at the first Samsung Diamond League track and field meet in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, long jumper Khotso Mokoena no longer feels under pressure to qualify.
Mokoena did well with his second jump of 8.20m - good enough for London - and went on to equal it in the fourth one. He will have to match or better the distance again before the Olympics.
"There is no pressure to qualify, everything is going according to plan," Mokoena said.
Russian Aleksandr Menkov won the event with a leap of 8.22m. But Mokoena is still the top-ranked jumper in the world this year with his 8.29m in Pretoria last month.
"I'm happy with my performance at my first Diamond League appearance, it is a great ice-breaker. There is tremendous improvement on my side. I'm busy working on my technique.
"I'm confident I will achieve the required 8.20m qualifying distance here in Europe before the end of this month or early June."
Mokoena has withdrawn from competing in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on May 25.
Mokoena halfway to London
AFTER meeting the London Olympic standard with his second-place finish at the first Samsung Diamond League track and field meet in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, long jumper Khotso Mokoena no longer feels under pressure to qualify.
Mokoena did well with his second jump of 8.20m - good enough for London - and went on to equal it in the fourth one. He will have to match or better the distance again before the Olympics.
"There is no pressure to qualify, everything is going according to plan," Mokoena said.
Russian Aleksandr Menkov won the event with a leap of 8.22m. But Mokoena is still the top-ranked jumper in the world this year with his 8.29m in Pretoria last month.
"I'm happy with my performance at my first Diamond League appearance, it is a great ice-breaker. There is tremendous improvement on my side. I'm busy working on my technique.
"I'm confident I will achieve the required 8.20m qualifying distance here in Europe before the end of this month or early June."
Mokoena has withdrawn from competing in Ostrava, Czech Republic, on May 25.
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