The Nedbank Running Club athlete revealed that pressure from his supporters, particularly on social media, fuelled him. Dijana dedicated the win to his fans, saying it was always in his mind that he was going to race for them, not for himself.
“I can say that I was getting pressure from social media, where people were saying, ‘Don’t let it go again’, so I had to fix everything. These people [his supporters] were the ones who managed to uplift my spirit when I was down last year, because after Comrades I was very, very sick, emotionally and physically,” Dijana said.
“When I was training, I told myself that this year I wasn’t going to run for myself, I was going to run for them. This is for you guys [his fans] for always cheering me up because I was very, very down last year ... I didn’t know what happened.
“It took time for me to adjust and accept the situation that happened last year, but with their support and my partner’s support, I managed, so I’d say this race was for them.”
Meanwhile, the Queen of the Comrades, Gerda Steyn, made sure that the women’s race was won by a local as well, crossing the finish line in 5:51:19 to clinch her fourth crown in this gruelling race. The 2022 winner, Alexandra Morozova, was a distant runner-up, clocking 5:55:56.
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Dijana 'conquers the devil' to win Comrades
Athlete dedicated victory to his fans
Image: Darren Stewart
Comrades Marathon ace Tete Dijana felt like he had conquered the devil by winning Sunday’s gruelling race for the third time after struggling with dizziness and cramps to finish 14th last year.
The 37-year-old from Mahikeng in the North West crossed the line in 5:25:28 to bag his third Comrades Marathon Down Run triumph after winning the 2022 and 2023 races from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. Dijana beat second-placed and last year’s winner, Piet Wiersma of the Netherlands, by just five seconds.
“It’s unexplainable [the feeling he had after crossing the finish line]. I don’t know what I can say, but I was so excited, very very excited [when the crowd cheered for him]. I was also emotional because I remember what happened last year ... because I was in the best shape, but the devil came, so I was happy that at least the devil didn’t attack me this year,” Dijana said.
The Nedbank Running Club athlete revealed that pressure from his supporters, particularly on social media, fuelled him. Dijana dedicated the win to his fans, saying it was always in his mind that he was going to race for them, not for himself.
“I can say that I was getting pressure from social media, where people were saying, ‘Don’t let it go again’, so I had to fix everything. These people [his supporters] were the ones who managed to uplift my spirit when I was down last year, because after Comrades I was very, very sick, emotionally and physically,” Dijana said.
“When I was training, I told myself that this year I wasn’t going to run for myself, I was going to run for them. This is for you guys [his fans] for always cheering me up because I was very, very down last year ... I didn’t know what happened.
“It took time for me to adjust and accept the situation that happened last year, but with their support and my partner’s support, I managed, so I’d say this race was for them.”
Meanwhile, the Queen of the Comrades, Gerda Steyn, made sure that the women’s race was won by a local as well, crossing the finish line in 5:51:19 to clinch her fourth crown in this gruelling race. The 2022 winner, Alexandra Morozova, was a distant runner-up, clocking 5:55:56.
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