Fit and raring to represent SA in Spain
JOBURG – Youngsters look forward to winning medals and making new friends.
Ten local, young pentathletes have been selected to represent South Africa in biathle and triathle at the 2017 World Championships in Spain and they are raring to go.
This comes after securing good results at the South African Championships in George in July.
Gauteng Modern Pentathlon committee chairperson, Graham Burnett said he was extremely proud of Gauteng’s athletes, and he was sure they would do well in the tournament in Spain from 20 to 24 September.
“The sport takes hours of training and commitment from both the athletes and their parents,” he said. “We were very strong at the SA Championships this year and took a record number of medals and qualifications into World Champs.”
Biathle is a derivative of modern pentathlon where competitors race in a continuous run-swim-run event.
In biathle, local athletes Joshua Eccles (U10) and Dylan Kruger (junior men) were crowned SA Champions while Amber Fairon and Marco Prins claimed silver medals and Ashley Irvine-Smith took bronze in their respective age categories.
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Triathle is also a derivative of modern pentathlon involving a continuous shoot-run-swim event with distances varying depending on the athletes’ age. Athletes shoot at electronic targets with laser pistols in the shooting discipline.
Eccles and Prins took gold at the SA Champs while Irvine-Smith and Kruger secured silver and Fairon clinched bronze.
“I am really excited about going,” said Eccles, who earned gold and bronze medals in triathle at the World Champs in the USA last year, and a silver team medal. “I want to make the top three and meet new people.”
Prins said he was ‘beyond excited’ and loved biathle and triathle equally.
Burnett added, “The sport is booming and we are expecting a huge influx into the sport in the new season starting in October. Having these great athletes as ambassadors for biathle and triathle will no doubt encourage more participation and enable us to fly our national flag around the world”.
Below are the Joburg residents the South African Modern Pentathlon Association selected to represent SA, and their suburb of residence:
U11
- Joshua Eccles (Bryanston)
- Matthew Hunt (Bryanston)
- Amber Fairon (Dainfern)
U13
- Marco Prins (Fairland)
- Michael Irvine-Smith (Bryanston)
- Jarred van Alphen (Douglasdale)
- Cullen Holland (Lonehill)
- Chloe Diedericks-Boudouris (Sharonlea)
U17
- Ashleigh Irvine-Smith (Bryanston)
- Junior Men
- Dylan Kruger (Wits University)
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