Lowvelder Megan Botha (17) raced to fourth place in the 11km time trial at the Confederation of African Cycling’s Road Cycling African Championships in Eldoret, Kenya, this morning, Wednesday, October 9.
The Hoërskool Nelspruit pupil clocked a time of 17:10:492. She missed out on the bronze medal, won by Kahsay Tsinge Kiros of Ethiopia, by just 1.844sec.
This just three days after she had won the junior female category at the South African Criterium Championships on October 6. The criterium champs were held at Lords View Industrial Park in Midrand and Megan’s race consisted of six 3.2km laps.
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Megan is one of three Lowvelders who were selected for the South African team for the Confederation of African Cycling’s Road Cycling African Championships. The team was announced by Cycling South Africa on October 3.
The championships started today and will finish on Sunday. Megan will take part in the junior women’s road race over 66km on Friday.
Callum Ormiston (22), a former Mbombela resident who is now based in Reading, England, will compete in the elite men’s road race, over 175km, on Sunday. Ormiston rides for Global 6 United as a continental level rider in one- and multiday races in Europe, Asia and Africa. He cut his teeth on the various Lowveld-based road races, as well as the 2022 National Road Race Championships, which were held in the Lowveld and in which he claimed the U23 title.
The third Lowveld-based member is the team soigneur, Nicole Shuttleworth. The biokineticist lives in Mbombela, but grew up in White River. She was also the soigneur of the South African cycling team at the Paris Olympic Games.
• Another Lowvelder, Walter Thornhill (71), is also flying the South African flag at the Tissot UCI Masters Track Cycling World Championships that are being held in Roubaix, France, from October 5 to 12. His first event was the men’s scratch race, 70-74, on Monday. He claimed fourth place.
Thornhill won his first medal, a silver, in the men’s 70-74 time trial on Tuesday in a time of 39.343sec. He will compete in the 10km points race today, in the sprint qualifiers tomorrow, (the semis and possible final on Friday, if he qualifies,) and the 2km pursuit on Saturday.
