An African record came the way of Anrune Liebenberg as South Africa began their medal campaign with three silver medals at the IPC Athletics World Championships in London on Saturday, writes Mark Etheridge.

Competing on the second day, Stellenbosch’s Liebenberg took silver in the T47 200 metre final as she clocked 25.53 seconds.

Winner was American Deja Young in 25.53sec.

The first five athletes ran either seasonal or personal bests.

There was another silver for Jonathan Ntutu in the men’s T12 final as he clocked 11.01sec behind Cuba’s Pineda Savon (10.72).

And a third silver went the way of Rio Olympian Ntando Mahlangu (as were Liebenberg and Ntutu) in the men’s T42 as he clocked a season’s best 23.95 behind Britain’s Richard Whitehead, who ran a championship record 23.26.

Also on the track, blind athlete Louzanne Coetzee qualified for the final of the 1500m in the T11, the little Bloemfontein middle-distance ace finishing second in heat one with a time of 5:00.20 behind China’s Jin Zheng (4:59.86).

The other South African in track action was yet another Rio Paralympian, Liezl Gouws, the North West athlete ending fifth the 20m T37 final.

She clocked 30.31 as Ukraine’s Natalia Kobzar won in a championships record of 27.62.

South Africa’s trio of silvers seem them placed 20th on the medals table after two days’ action.

Photo: Victoria Jones/Getty Images