Chasing history: Glenrose Xaba eyes record-breaking fourth SPAR Grand Prix title

Defending champion Glenrose Xaba is aiming to make history this Sunday by becoming the first athlete to win the SPAR Grand Prix for a fourth time.

Xaba secured her first title in 2017 prior to the series opening to international competitors and followed that success with back-to-back victories in 2024 and 2025.

The Boxer Athletics Club star and current South African 10km record holder solidified her legacy in October. By winning the Jozi 10km Challenge, she became the first black South African to win the SPAR Grand Prix Series three times.

READ: Glenrose Xaba clinches third SPAR Grand Prix crown, makes history for Black South African runners

"The SPAR Grand Prix has become very important to me," said Xaba. "I am very proud to be the first black South African to win it three times. I hope my achievements are an inspiration to young girls living in poverty, as I was, who see what I have done and believe they can do the same."

Xaba faces a competitive field on Sunday, with several athletes looking to challenge her dominance: Karabo Mailula (Tuks), Irvette van Zyl (Hollywood Athletics Club), Tayla Kavanagh (Hollywood Athletics Club), Karabo More (Boxer)and Cacisile Sosibo (Boxer).

"I am ready to run my best, and I am looking forward to the competition. I just want to achieve good results in 2026," Xaba added.

Olympian Caster Semenya has also confirmed that she will be running the race on Sunday. Last year, Semenya ran her first-ever competitive 10km race in the SPAR Grand Prix series, finishing impressively in the top ten.

The Cape Town race is the first of five events that make up the SPAR Grand Prix. The subsequent races will be held in: Durban, Tshwane, Gqeberha and Johannesburg.

Over the past 18 years, only four runners Rene Kalmer, Irvette van Zyl, Tadu Nare (Ethiopia), and Glenrose Xaba have won the SPAR Grand Prix three times. A victory for Xaba this season would place her in a category of her own.