Glenrose Xaba’s absence from Tokyo World Championships a missed opportunity?

On the face of it, Glenrose Xaba has long graduated from track star to road-running royalty. South Africa’s national record holder in the 10km, half marathon, and marathon distances, Xaba has firmly established herself as one of the country’s most formidable distance runners.

And yet, curiously, the Boxer Athletic Club athlete still clings to aspirations of competing on the track at the highest level. More curiously still, she won’t be representing South Africa at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, despite having earned automatic qualification through her spectacular marathon debut at the 2023 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon.

That 2:22:22 finish wasn’t just a course victory — it was a seismic statement. Not only did it shatter Gerda Steyn’s national record, but it also qualified Xaba for the world stage in a discipline she appeared born to conquer.

So why, with the ticket to Tokyo already punched, is South Africa’s marathon queen staying home?

The answer lies in a confusing tangle of coaching strategy and ambition. Xaba’s handlers, it seems, were still intent on her qualifying for the World Championships through the 5,000m or 10,000m track events — a goal she failed to achieve. Their belief? That she isn’t quite ready for the demands of the marathon on a world stage.

“My plan was to qualify through the track — 5,000m and 10,000m,” Xaba explained at the post-race press conference after winning the Hollywoodbets Durban 10k in a superb 31:34 — just 22 seconds off her national record. “I am not going to do the World Champs. I am not prepared that much to go for World Champs because it was not in my plan when it comes to the marathon.”

Her reasoning is practical, if frustrating: “You can’t go to the marathon with 30ks. You need to go with a full program. You need to have two 40ks in your body and more 35 to 38 kilometres.”

It’s a fair point. Championship marathons are punishing, and entering one undercooked risks more than just poor performance — it risks long-term confidence and momentum. Still, it begs the question: why, after qualifying via her record-breaking Cape Town performance, did her team push her down the track route?

Xaba has already worn national colours at the World Half Marathon Championships, and at 30 years of age, her marathon debut was a clear signal that she was ready to move fully into the longer distances. This could have been her natural progression — not just in terms of performance, but experience.

Instead, she has stayed in a holding pattern — still chasing a track qualification that has so far eluded her, and declining a marathon berth she rightfully earned.

Of course, the decision isn’t entirely hers. Xaba admitted her management felt the World Championships would be “too big” a stage this early in her marathon career. They have earmarked an international marathon later this year to continue her development.

That may yet prove a wise long-term move. But with her Cape Town debut proving she belongs in elite company, and with a major championship appearance potentially fast-tracking her acclimatisation to the rigours of world-class marathon running, one can’t help but wonder if this was a moment to seize — not shelve.

Perhaps years from now, Xaba will look back on 2024 as a crossroads. Whether it turns out to be a calculated pause or a missed opportunity remains to be seen. For now, what’s clear is that Glenrose Xaba is ready for the world. The world will just have to wait a little longer.