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13th African Games | Team SA Triathletes Double Triathlon Gold for Team SA

Double triathlon gold for Team SA

By GARY LEMKE

Not often does a code have a 100 percent return from the number of athletes they send to compete, but the quartet of Team SA triathletes did their country proud when dominating their competition at the 13th African Games in Accra.

Both Vicky van der Merwe and Nicholas Quenet won gold medals – taking Team SA’s total of medals form an overnight 81 to 83 – and they were followed home in their respective events by Sharne Williams (silver) and Dylan Nortje (bronze). Those medals took Team SA to 85 and surpassed the total number of medals (83) achieved in Morocco in 2019.

The 34-year-old Van der Merwe is considered the “mommy” of South African triathlon and she did her hopes of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic no harm in the heat in Accra.

“This was the first time that I swam in a pool in a triathlon, so that was a new experience for me. I did a lot of triathlons up until a couple of years ago when I became a mom and my son is now two-years-old. This gold was a big goal of mine and it’s been an incredible journey.

“South Africa has a lot of triathlon talent and myself and Henri Schoeman are considered the ‘oldies’, but I’m hoping to keep my involvement post-Paris and look to mentor some of the talent coming through.”

For Quenet, it was the run which separated him from the rest. “The pool was actually in great condition, but it was hot out there. We started our event at 12.30 in the afternoon. When we changed from the swim to the bike the wind was blowing quite a bit and it was hot! Myself and a Moroccan then pulled clear and things were decided on the run. It was really hot, so I was happy to get away from him. There were a lot of Olympic points at stake here, so they were important. Next I’m off to Swakopmund and then shortly after that there’s another race in PE, so it’s a busy time ahead,” said the 26-year-old.

Photo: File picture

 |  SA Sportspress  |  SA Sports
Double triathlon gold for Team SA

By GARY LEMKE

Not often does a code have a 100 percent return from the number of athletes they send to compete, but the quartet of Team SA triathletes did their country proud when dominating their competition at the 13th African Games in Accra.

Both Vicky van der Merwe and Nicholas Quenet won gold medals – taking Team SA’s total of medals form an overnight 81 to 83 – and they were followed home in their respective events by Sharne Williams (silver) and Dylan Nortje (bronze). Those medals took Team SA to 85 and surpassed the total number of medals (83) achieved in Morocco in 2019.

The 34-year-old Van der Merwe is considered the “mommy” of South African triathlon and she did her hopes of qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympic no harm in the heat in Accra.

“This was the first time that I swam in a pool in a triathlon, so that was a new experience for me. I did a lot of triathlons up until a couple of years ago when I became a mom and my son is now two-years-old. This gold was a big goal of mine and it’s been an incredible journey.

“South Africa has a lot of triathlon talent and myself and Henri Schoeman are considered the ‘oldies’, but I’m hoping to keep my involvement post-Paris and look to mentor some of the talent coming through.”

For Quenet, it was the run which separated him from the rest. “The pool was actually in great condition, but it was hot out there. We started our event at 12.30 in the afternoon. When we changed from the swim to the bike the wind was blowing quite a bit and it was hot! Myself and a Moroccan then pulled clear and things were decided on the run. It was really hot, so I was happy to get away from him. There were a lot of Olympic points at stake here, so they were important. Next I’m off to Swakopmund and then shortly after that there’s another race in PE, so it’s a busy time ahead,” said the 26-year-old.

Photo: File picture

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