ZULULAND’S talented road cyclist Heidi Dalton has done it again.
The speed queen claimed gold in the women’s 21km individual and team races at the 2013 African Continental Championships at Sharm El Sheik in Egypt.
Dalton, the SA junior champion, helped the South African team in their total collection of medals claim five gold, two silver and a bronze medal at the championships.
Monday’s early start saw South Africa claim three gold medals and two silver medals in the individual time trial event.
National champion Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio took gold and the African Continental Championship title in the elite women’s category over a distance of 21km, with the junior categories claiming a full-house with Dalton earning gold and Monique Gerber claiming silver in the 21km women’s race.
Ivan Venter and Morné van Niekerk won gold and silver respectively in the 21km men’s race.
The continental event kicked off with the team time trial discipline on Sunday with the junior men’s team claiming gold by a margin of 17.28 seconds over a distance of 21km.
Nickolas Dlamini, Jandrich Kotze, Van Niekerk and Venter held off the Moroccan team, who finished second, with Algeria finishing third.
The junior women’s team comprised of Andri Coetzee, Dalton, Gerber and Mikayla Oliver claimed gold in the 21km stage by a margin of 2 minutes 36.95 seconds over the host nation Egypt.
In the Elite TTT, South Africa’s team was made up of U23 riders only, and Calvin Beneke, Ryan Gibbons, Shaun-Nick Bester and JC Nel put on an outstanding performance in the 63km stage to claim a bronze medal against the strong and victorious Eritrean elite team.
