Mpumalanga athletes qualify for Biathle and Triathle World Champs
Fourteen athletes from Mpumalanga, the entire provincial team, were able to achieve qualification for the Biathle and Triathle World Champs at this year’s SA champs.
The SA Biathle and Triathle Championships were held on August 9 and 10, and the Mpumalanga team put on a fine showing.
Biathle and triathle are two-part and three-part derivations of the larger modern pentathlon, which is an Olympic multisport that consists of fencing (one-touch épée), freestyle swimming, equestrian showjumping, laser pistol shooting, and cross-country running.
In the biathle, athletes only take part in the running and swimming components, while in the triathle the athletes add laser shooting to the mix too. This year’s SA Biathle and Triathle Championships were held at Selborne College in East London in the Eastern Cape, and Mpumalanga had 14 representatives taking part.
The team achieved five golds, two silvers and three bronzes, but the ultimate prize was to earn qualification for the world championships in Egypt in October.
While one might usually expect only a few athletes to qualify, Mpumalanga blew everyone out of the water as all of the athletes from the Province of the Rising Sun earned qualification for the world championships.
These were the Mpumalanga athletes’ results:
U11 boys
Triathle
Estevan Wessels – 1st
Hilton Vos – 3rd
Biathle
Estevan Wessels – 2nd
Hilton Vos – 3rd
U11 girls
Triathle
Hannah Morgado – 1st
Zeney De Beer – 4th
Paige Plumb – 9th
Biathle
Hannah Morgado – 1st
Zeney de Beer – 13th
Paige Plumb – 25th
U13 girls
Triathle
Chiniq Breet – 6th
Biathle
Chiniq Breet – 4th
U15 boys
Triathle
Giann Wessels – 1st
Maynard Breet – 7th
Biathle
Giann Wessels – 1st
Maynard Breet – 10th
U15 girls
Triathle
Zoe Morgado – 3rd
Lara Janse van Rensburg – 5th
Jessica Matthysen – 8th
Biathle
Zoe Morgado – 2nd
Lara Janse van Rensburg – 7th
Jessica Matthysen – 13th
Masters 60+
Biathle
Jan Wilkens – 4th
