Sterkenberg earned qualification at the event, which offers direct berths at next year's postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with a total of one point, 11 clear of nearest challenger and compatriot Georgiana Dorward.

Catherine Honegger, also representing the host nation, was third.

Two quota places at Tokyo 2020, where sport climbing is set to make its Olympic debut, are on offer at the event in Cape Town.

They will be claimed by the winners of the men's and women's combined events, which sees athletes tackle all three disciplines - bouldering, lead and speed.

The sport climbing qualification process for Tokyo 2020 has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic as the Asian Championships were cancelled, while some athletes expressed concerns over the European Championships, which went ahead in Moscow last month.

The quotas which had been due to be claimed at the Asian Championships in Xiamen in China will be reallocated based on the rankings from the 2019 World Championships.

Men's qualifying is set to take place when the African Championships continue tomorrow.