JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - 14 October 2010: Interview with former Comrades Marathon winner Nick Bester after he was thrown off his bicycle, kicked, beaten and threatened with a knife by attackers on the Mabopane highway in Pretoria West, South Africa early on Thursday 14 October 2010. Bester suffered a broken rib from the incident and his R50 000 mountain-bike and other valuables were stolen. One of the alleged attackers was apprehended soon after the incident, with Bester's cellular phone. Bester has nine Comrades gold medals to his name, and won the race in 1991. (Photo by Gallo Images/Foto24/Lulama Zenzile)
Former Comrades Marathon winner Nick Bester was recovering in hospital on Monday after being released from intensive care, his family confirmed, following an assault over the weekend.
While the rest of his family had not been allowed to see him on Monday due to Covid-19 restrictions at Eugene Marais Hospital in Pretoria, Bester’s wife Sharon had been allowed to visit.
Bester’s son, Shaun-Nick, said they were relieved to hear he was in stable condition and had been moved to a general ward, but specifics regarding his progress remained largely unclear due to lockdown restrictions.
“It seems he is in the same condition as he was this morning, but we have been told he is feeling a bit better,” Shaun-Nick said late Monday.
The rest of his family was hoping to be allowed to visit Bester later in the week.
“We’re still pretty much in the dark, but we’re glad my mom has been able to spend time with him,” Shaun-Nick said.
Former elite athlete Nick Bester is in intensive care after being attacked at the weekend in an alleged assault. Photo: Supplied
A former iron-man triathlete who won the Comrades Marathon in 1991, Bester was training in Magaliesburg on Sunday when he was apparently assaulted by three men.
His son said Betser was hit over the head with a rock and was left with three broken ribs, a broken cheekbone and severe tissue damage.
Former Comrades Marathon winner Nick Bester is seen recovering at the Eugene Marais Hospital in Pretoria on Monday. Picture: Supplied
His clothes were removed and he was tied up but was able to “slide on his back” towards a nearby private property, where he was able to find help.
This is the second assault Bester has faced in the last 10 years.
In 2010, while training in Pretoria, he was threatened with a knife and left with a broken rib after his attackers stole his bicycle.
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