GENA LOFSTRAND

Nationality: RSA

Place of birth: Durban

DOB: 23 October 1995

Coach: Victor Vaz

400 m: 53.81 sec
600 m: 1:28.32 sec
800 m: 2:01.50 sec
1 500 m: 4:28.94 sec

400 m: 53.81 sec, Pretoria, June'17
600 m: 1:28.32 sec, Pretoria, January'17
800 m: 2:01.50 sec, Lucerne, July'17
1 500 m: 4:28.94 sec, Potchefstroom, January, 2016

800 m: 7th, 2:10.40 sec, World Junior Championships, Eugene, 2014
800 m: 8th, 2:03.67 sec, World Championships, London, 2017

Displaying tremendous versatility in her youth, Lofstrand twice represented South Africa in the junior race at the Duathlon World
Championships before opting to focus on the track at the age of 17.

Lofstrand soon proved she had made the right decision when she won the 2013 national senior 800m title in Stellenbosch at the age of 17, and she went on to reach the semifinals in the two-lap event at the 2014 World Junior Championships.

Her anticipated transition to the senior ranks was hampered by a persistent stress fracture and glandular fever however, as she struggled to reach her potential.

Having overcome her lengthy battles with injury and illness, Lofstrand enjoyed a comeback season in 2017, chopping 3.10 seconds off her personal best.

She won the 800m title at the Southern Region Championships in Harare before storming to a lifetime best of 2:01.50 at a European permit meeting in Lucerne.

Earning a place in the SA team for the 2017 World Championships, she took full advantage of the opportunity, producing a spectacular front-running effort in the heats. She burst to the head of the field and set an honest pace in the opening round, and though she ended seventh in her heat, she was rewarded by securing the last available spot in the semifinals.

While she was eliminated in the penultimate round at the biennial global spectacle, Lofstrand again showcased her talent with her gutsy effort, and if she can stay fit and healthy she has the potential to join former training partner Caster Semenya among the international middle-distance elite.