George Kusche was at his very best. (Photo: Pieter Cloete/Maroela Media)
After Sunday’s brilliant performance in the 99th version of the Comrades marathon, George Kusche gained a big target on his back.
Friend and foe now know that he is surely the future of South African road racing and he will be watched with hawk eyes from now on.
Of course there will be more pressure, but the 27-year-old star looks like someone who can stand his ground in pressure situations.
According to the former pupil of Afrikaans Hoër Seunskool, he has a lot of respect for athletes like Gerda Steyn and Piet Wiersma who come back every year and run amok in the Comrades.
“But when you talk about pressure, I always think of Rassie’s (Erasmus) words – it’s a privilege to do what you love,” said the new Comrades champion.
On Sunday, he also showed that he is prepared to take calculated chances when he began to run with greater intensity to overwhelm his opponents.
The man who jogged up to 259 km per week in preparation for this challenge left his mark on the Comrades.
“I actually keep my training as simple as possible and push myself as hard as I can. I know my body and things have worked out nicely for me now.”
His legs were really sore when he reached the finish line after just over five hours and 16 minutes.
“I’m limping a bit now because I’m very tired. When I ran up to Polly Shortts I just hoped no one would catch me.”
The eventual winner often thought of last year’s race experience when he lost a little steam in the darts.
Still, his eventual 12th place showed him what he could achieve.
“I told myself that although I’m very tired now, I still feel better than last year. If I could overcome that challenge, then I can do it now too.
However, anything can go wrong at the Comrades and he only really relaxed when he crossed the finish line.
“I was very grateful, precisely because it was such a nerve-racking experience. However, I did not doubt for one moment that my racing path would eventually lead me to the Comrades.”