The North West triathlon team won no fewer than 12 medals at the SA Sprint Triathlon Championships just outside Bloemfontein at Maselspoort on Sunday, 13 January.
Triathletes between the ages of 20 and 65 competed in near-perfect conditions on a tough course comprising a 750 m swim, 20 km cycle and a 5 km run.
Not only did North West win 12 medals but the province took first and second places overall in both the men’s and women’s races. The top three women overall were Alisa Botha (NW) 1:13:41, Minette Bell (NW) 1:14:16 and Trish Heimann (Tshwane) 1:17:38.
The top three men overall were Dylan Kruger (NW) 1:04:21, Dehan Louw (NW) 1:06:11 and Tiaan Rossouw (Gauteng) 1:06:20.
Potchefstroom triathletes representing NW province were:
Alisa Botha – 1st place overall, gold medal women 35–39
Minette Bell – 2nd place overall, gold medal women 40–44
Mariette Hitge – Silver medal women 45–49
Dehan Louw – 2nd place overall, gold medal men 25–29
Maurits Marnewick – Silver medal men 25–29
Deon Schulenberg – Bronze medal men 45–49.
The president of NW Triathlon, Neil Collett, was tremendously proud of the athletes’ performance.
‘The athletes performed like superstars, winning 12 of the 45 medals on offer. Our team manager, Yolanda Kruger deserves special mention for all her effort, as do the athletes’ families and friends who cheered them on all the way around the course. This is such a great start to the 2019 season for North West Triathlon and we are now preparing for our next challenge – the Kids’ Super-sprint, the Youth Sprint and the Olympic Distance SA Championships in Durban in March,’ stated Collett.
He also emphasised the amount of talent in the province and urged athletes to enter the NW league races.
‘Our clear goal is for NW to be the leading province in triathlon in South Africa. With triathlon now an Olympic and Commonwealth Games sport, it is enjoying increasing media coverage. Its popularity is rising across the spectrum, from sprint races to the iconic Iron Man event. To this end, we need to nurture young talent entering the sport and we urge parents to contact us should their children be interested in triathlon.’
Photos: Supplied
