Stephen Mokoka
Encyclopedia
Stephen Mokoka is a South Africa
n long-distance runner who competes in races ranging from 3000 metres
to the marathon
distance. He is a two-time medalist at the Universiade
and has represented South African internationally in road
, cross country
and track events.
He began competing internationally in 2005 and came ninth over 10,000 metres at the 2005 Summer Universiade
. At the African student championships in 2006 he was third over 5000 metres
and finished as runner-up in the 10,000 m. He won back-to-back South African universities titles (2006/2007) and won his first global level medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade
, taking the bronze medal
in the 10,000 m.
He gained his first senior international selections the following year, running at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
and the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
. He made significant improvements to his times in the 2009 season, including a 5000 m personal best of 13:44.22 min at the Yellow Pages Durban
meeting and a 10,000 m track best of 28:48.73 min. He won the 10,000 m national title in March and then managed to finish in 32nd place at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. He also improved on the roads, taking the national 10K and half marathon
titles with bests of 28:21 min and 61:26 min respectively. Having already won the Two Oceans Half Marathon earlier that year, he established himself as a top level competitor at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
by coming in eighth place. At the 10-mile Great South Run
in England it came down to a sprint finish between Mo Farah and himself. Although he lost by a margin of one second, he set a South African record
of 46:26 min for the distance.
In 2010, Mokoka retained his 10,000 m track and road national titles and improved upon his previous year's finish at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
, coming 22nd overall. He made his first outing over the marathon
distance in November that year, running a time of 2:08:33 hours for fourth place at the JoongAng Seoul Marathon
. He was one of the few runners to compete at both the 2011 African Cross Country Championships
and the World Championships
events, placing sixth at the continental level (second in the team rankings with South Africa) and fifteenth on the global stage. A month later he won the 10,000 m South African title in a personal best, was runner-up at the Yangzhou Half Marathon, then had his first sub-28-minute clocking to win the 10,000 m national universities title with a run of 27:56.18 min. He won the silver medal
in the 10,000 m at the 2011 Summer Universiade
behind Suguru Osako and went on to make his world debut in the event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
, where he came thirteenth.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n long-distance runner who competes in races ranging from 3000 metres
3000 metres
The 3000 metres is a popular amateur middle distance track event where 7.5 laps are completed around a 400 metre track. This event is generally classified as middle distance, but it could be classed as a long distance event in many high schools, since they do not promote races such as the 5000 and...
to the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance. He is a two-time medalist at the Universiade
Universiade
The Universiade is an International multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation . The name is a combination of the words "University" and "olympiad"...
and has represented South African internationally in road
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
and track events.
He began competing internationally in 2005 and came ninth over 10,000 metres at the 2005 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 2005 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition in the 2005 Summer Universiade was held on the İzmir Atatürk Stadyumu in İzmir, Turkey, between 15 August and 20 August 2005.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-References:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics* - FIBU...
. At the African student championships in 2006 he was third over 5000 metres
5000 metres
The 5000 metres is a popular running distance also known as 5 km or 5K in American English. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics. "5000 metres" refers to racing on a track and "5K" usually refers to a roadrace or cross country event...
and finished as runner-up in the 10,000 m. He won back-to-back South African universities titles (2006/2007) and won his first global level medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 2007 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition at the 2007 Summer Universiade was held in the Main Stadium at Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand, between 9 August and 14 August 2007.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medals table:-Results:******...
, taking the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in the 10,000 m.
He gained his first senior international selections the following year, running at the 2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2008 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 36th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Holyrood Park at Edinburgh, Scotland on 30 March 2008. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
and the 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 October 2008.This event was first announced as the 2008 IAAF World Road Running Championships, but in November 2007, the IAAF announced that the name of the IAAF World Road Running Championships would revert...
. He made significant improvements to his times in the 2009 season, including a 5000 m personal best of 13:44.22 min at the Yellow Pages Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
meeting and a 10,000 m track best of 28:48.73 min. He won the 10,000 m national title in March and then managed to finish in 32nd place at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
. He also improved on the roads, taking the national 10K and half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
titles with bests of 28:21 min and 61:26 min respectively. Having already won the Two Oceans Half Marathon earlier that year, he established himself as a top level competitor at the 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2009 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held in Birmingham, United Kingdom on 11 October 2009. It was the final event of the International Association of Athletics Federations' 2009 World Athletics Series.-Organisation:...
by coming in eighth place. At the 10-mile Great South Run
Great South Run
The Bupa Great South Run is an annual 10 miles road running race which takes place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. Launched in 1990, it is part of the Great Run series created by former British athlete Brendan Foster...
in England it came down to a sprint finish between Mo Farah and himself. Although he lost by a margin of one second, he set a South African record
South African records in athletics
The following are the national records in athletics in South Africa maintained by Athletics South Africa .-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:+ = en route to a longer distanceA = affected by altitude# = not officially ratified...
of 46:26 min for the distance.
In 2010, Mokoka retained his 10,000 m track and road national titles and improved upon his previous year's finish at the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking...
, coming 22nd overall. He made his first outing over the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance in November that year, running a time of 2:08:33 hours for fourth place at the JoongAng Seoul Marathon
JoongAng Seoul Marathon
The JoongAng Seoul Marathon is an annual footrace that takes place in Seoul, South Korea, usually in early November. First held in 1999, the race was established as a commemoration of Olympic marathon race which was held as part of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. It features a men's marathon elite race,...
. He was one of the few runners to compete at both the 2011 African Cross Country Championships
2011 African Cross Country Championships
The 1st African Cross Country Championships was an international cross country running competition for African athletes which was held on 6 March 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa...
and the World Championships
2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2011 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in Punta Umbría, Spain on 20 March 2011.-Preparation:The United States had expressed an interest in hosting the competition, but Punta Umbria was chosen as the host at the IAAF Council Meeting in November 2009...
events, placing sixth at the continental level (second in the team rankings with South Africa) and fifteenth on the global stage. A month later he won the 10,000 m South African title in a personal best, was runner-up at the Yangzhou Half Marathon, then had his first sub-28-minute clocking to win the 10,000 m national universities title with a run of 27:56.18 min. He won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
in the 10,000 m at the 2011 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 2011 Summer Universiade
The athletics competition at the 2011 Summer Universiade has been held at the New Shenzhen Stadium in Shenzhen, China from August 16 to August 21, 2011.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal Table:-Participating nations:...
behind Suguru Osako and went on to make his world debut in the event at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics
2011 World Championships in Athletics
The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....
, where he came thirteenth.