Glenrose Xaba's victory at the opening leg of the Spar Women's 10km Challenge here yesterday may have put her in a commanding position to win the Grand Prix, but there are no guarantees of her participating in all the remaining legs.

This is after Xaba's coach Violet Semenya implied the 29-year-old may skip some of the remaining races of the series as their main aim was to see her improve her time, eyeing a sub-31 feat in the 10,000m.

Xaba's current personal best (PB) is 31.55 in 10km. Xaba's win in the Mother City, achieved by clocking 32:17, was the first by a local athlete in the Spar Grand Prix since she won the Tshwane leg of the same race in 2018.

"We are going to try and go for 10,000m this year to at least run a better time... maybe we can get 31, maybe we can get 30 the way she [Xaba] is now. We are praying and hoping to come to more Grand Prix events, but our aim is to focus more on the 10,000m,'' said Semenya.

Xaba feels her solid performance in the Mother City will boost her morale heading into the World Athletics Cross Country Championships, to be held in Serbia's capital Belgrade on March 30.

"This performance, leading to the World Champs Cross Country, will give me confidence to go there and do my best and challenge the Kenyans and Ethiopians and other good runners from other countries,'' asserted the soft-spoken Xaba.

Ethiopians Diniya Abaraya and Getenesh Agafaw came second and third, crossing the line in 32:24 and 33:02 respectively. The top five was completed by locals in Cacisile Sosibo (33.06) and Kesa Molotsane (33.17).

Usual suspect Tadu Nare, who won the previous three Grand Prix titles and her Ethiopian compatriot Salem Gebre were notable absentees at the Cape Town race. Xaba thanked the Ethiopians for pushing her, narrating how they helped her.

 "I'd also like to thank the ladies [pointing at fellow podium finishers in Abaraya and Agafaw] for pushing the pace together,'' Xaba said.

"I was with her [Agafaw] from the start until the 5km mark, where I broke away. At 7km, she was back with me again and we ran together. At 8km, she was ahead of me but at 9km she gave up and I capitalised."

Reported by Sihle Ndebele in Cape Town