Fantastic start for Brescia biathle athlete
The young athlete competed at the 2020/2021 season-opening Gauteng North League event on 14 November where she finished in a phenomenal 2nd place in the U15 age group.
Brescia House School learner Isla Thomas kicked off this year’s biathle season with a podium finish.
The young athlete competed at the 2020/2021 season-opening Gauteng North League event on 14 November where she finished in a phenomenal 2nd place in the U15 age group.
Isla was moved up to the U15 age group from her previous U13 group which meant an increase in the distance covered for the biathle event. She admitted that while it is a tremendous achievement to move up a level, the increased distance did prove to be a challenge in the beginning.
The U13 age group covers a 400m run, 50m swim and 400m run while the U15 age group covers an 800m run, 100m swim and 800m run.
“The longer distance in U15 proved to be tough and I feel that I need to work on my endurance for my running – I really felt the distance in the second 800m run. The longer swim was great as that is my strong element,” said Isla.
She added that the event itself felt quite normal with the exception of a few additional protocol and safety measures as a result of the lockdown. “I felt it was almost same as normal, just a few small changes – no swimming caps could be left in buckets at transitions, and only one parent could watch.”
Isla hopes that with more time dedicated to training she will be able to grab that first place spot in now time. “As it is my first year in U15 I know it will be tough against the older girls who are in their second year (for U15). But I am still hoping with enough training that I might be able to qualify for world champions, and if not, to at least make South African Champions.”
She remains confident in her skill, hoping to one day compete in a tetrathlon which covers four disciplines – shooting, swimming, riding and running.
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