Bryanston and Fourways laser runners do SA proud

Bryanston and Fourways residents can boast spectacular results at the 2017 Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM) Laser-Run World Championships.

South Africa hosted the tournament for the first time, and Cape Town Stadium saw teams from 20 countries compete in the running and shooting sport on 14 and 15 October.

Bryanston’s Thomas Hunt (8) stunned boys older than him to snatch a bronze medal in the boys U11 category, while Matthew Hunt (9) took sixth in the same race.

Erin Clouston, also of Bryanston, came ninth in the U11 girls’ race, while Nadya Stolarczyk of Fourways finished fourth in the U15 girls’ race.

“All the athletes can be very proud of themselves for putting in the effort and delivering results to ensure that South Africa is recognised as one of the best in the world,” said Graham Burnett, secretary of Gauteng Modern Pentathlon.

For Thomas, visiting Cape Town with his family and competing in the world championships for the first time, was a thrill.

His brother, Matthew said, “The best part was meeting athletes from other countries and playing games with them between races, like soccer and swopping flags with them.”

Clouston enjoyed the experience of competing against the world’s best and said she found the shooting a bit tougher than the running. Stolarczyk agreed that the shooting was difficult, but he had such a great time at the championships.

“You make a lot of friends there because everyone is so friendly,” she said.

Laser-run forms part of the Olympic Modern Pentathlon. This includes horse riding, fencing, swimming, running and shooting. Laser-run combines the running and shooting disciplines of the pentathlon. It is fast-paced and features running several laps with laser target shooting in between the laps.

Also read: SA laser-runners aim to shine at world championships in Cape Town 

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