South African long-distance runner Tayla Kavanagh has opened 2026 with strong results, including double gold medals at the national championships in Stellenbosch last month.
Kavanagh, 25, won both the 5km and 10km titles at the South African Senior Track and Field Championships in April. She ran a personal best of 14:58.52 in the 5km, becoming only the third South African woman to break the 15-minute barrier.
The victories followed an impressive March performance where she completed the Spar Women’s 10km Challenge in Cape Town in 31:33. That time improved on her personal best set at the Sanlam Peace Run 10km in October 2025.
“I’m incredibly happy with how this year has gone so far,” Kavanagh said after the championships. She added that the double gold came as a surprise in the shorter distance and served as preparation for the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen in September.
Kavanagh is self-coached and draws motivation from fellow runner Glenrose Xaba. Her next race is the Cape Town leg of the Run Your City 10km event on Sunday.
