LUNGILE GONGQA BECOME FIRS CAPETONIAN TO WIN TWO OCEANS SINCE 1973.

That made Gongqua the first Capetonian to win the 56-kilometre race since Don Hartley in 1973.

The last South African champion was Kroonstad-born David Gatebe in 2013.

Gongqa finished in 03:09:43 with Warinyane Lebopo of Lesotho second in 03:10:21.

The pair were neck-and-neck for much of the last six kilometres before Gongqa pulled away to secure victory.

Gongqa and Lebopo were the sole survivors of a group of 10 runners who broke away from the pack after 42 kilometres.

Another Lesotho runner, Teboho Sello, was third with Zimbabwe’s Collen Makaza fourth and Melly Kennedy, a Kenyan, fifth.

Belarusian Maryna Damantsevich won the women’s race in 03:37:13.

Damantsevich hit the front early in the piece and was helped by Caroline Wöstmann’s withdrawal after 11 kilometres with a hamstring injury.

Wöstmann was bidding for a hat-trick of Two Oceans victories.

Lesotho’s Namakoe Nkhase won the men’s half-marathon in a race record time of 01:03:15.

Irvette van Zyl was the first woman in the half-marathon and 39th overall.

Of the total entries of 11 000 for the ultra-marathon, 4 005 were novices, 7 782 were men and 3 218 women.

In the half-marathon, which drew 16 000 entries, men numbered 7 426 and women 8 754.