JOHANNESBURG - A lack of batons may have set the inaugural Athletics SA (ASA) relay camp off to rough start, but at least it was a step in the right direction.
Former and seasoned athletes hailed the training camp for both the men's and women's 4x100m and 4x400m relays as a positive development.
The first of ASA's planned relay training camps in Pretoria hit a slight snag when the four teams only had two batons to train with.
While the men's 4x100m squad hung around for a baton, the 4x400m used a water bottle before former South African women’s 100m ace Geraldine Pillay saved the day.
The camp had some relay pedigree among the coaches, including 2001 World Championships 4x100m gold medallist Morné Nagel and Hendrick Mokganyetsi, who was a member of the 4x400m quartet that won bronze medal at the 1999 World Championships in Seville.
National 100m record holder Akani Simbine’s coach Werner Prinsloo took charge of the men's 4x100m squad while Nagel worked with the women with Hennie Kriel assisting both.
"It's been a long time coming, everyone was asking for it (a relay camp) ASA decided to put something together and this is the start of it," Prinsloo said.
"The whole idea of these camps is to train the changeovers, to get the used to each other, try different combinations. The basic idea of this is to get that relay culture started, and I think that is what has been lacking."
Mokganyetsi and former world junior champion Paul Gorries were responsible for the 4x400m men's and women’s squads.
LJ van Zyl, who won the silver medal as a member of the 4x400m relay team at the 2011 World Championships, enthusiastically shared his knowledge with the rest of the squad.
Misfortune struck during the women's 4x400m changeover practice when Zoe Engler appeared to have broken her collarbone when she tripped and fell.
This hardly put a damper on the jovial mood among the athletes, with Simbine the chief instigator of friendly banter.
Simbine has declared himself unavailable for the World Relays in the Bahamas but remained a member of the team with an eye on the IAAF World Championships in London.
ASA president Aleck Skhosana said in a press release South africa had already qualified for the 4x100m men‚ 4x100m women and in the 4x400m women.
The South African teams would be targeting a top-eight finish in the Bahamas which would secure them places at the World Championships in London.
"The whole idea of getting the guys to the Bahamas is to try and get top eight so that we don't have to do any other qualification for the worrld champions," Prinsloo said.
The camp comes off the back of severe criticism aimed at ASA after it failed to qualify a single relay team for the Rio Olympics.
Skhosana stopped short of admitting ASA had dropped the baton with regards to the relays.
“Last season we were questioned and often criticised for neglecting our relay potential," Skhosana said.
The World Relays is held the same weekend as the SA Senior Championships in Potchefstroom. This could possibly leave the championships void of some of the country’s top sprinting talent.