Germans dominate Africa Triathlon series

German triathletes clinched the top positions in both the elite men’s and women’s divisions of the 2022 Prosperity Health Africa Triathlon Cup held in Swakopmund on Saturday.
The field consisted of some of the world’s best and included athletes from Namibia, South Africa, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, USA, Luxembourg and Nigeria.
Swakopmund was hailed as a “stunning venue with amazing spectators". The course included an ocean swim in the Mole area, where swimmers were greeted by dolphins and seals; an exciting cycle track – technical enough to mount a breakaway but not enough to spoil the fun – through Swakopmund’s business area; and a scenic run between the beautiful Promenade and Strand Street. The finish line was at the beach entrance of the Strand Hotel.
The morning started with a ‘super sprint’ and sprint triathlon for Namibian men and women. Micah Chase and Hilda-Marie Olivier were the first to cross the line in the super sprint division, while the open sprint division for 16 years and over was won by 13-year-old Nathan Chase (men) and Joe Pretorius (women).
The elite division comprised of world-class professional athletes. Namibian Triathlon Federation (NTF) president Roual Spangenberg explained that the Africa event is sanctioned by World Triathlon and is part of the international circuit which professional athletes race for points for world rankings and Olympic Games qualification, or for qualification for the Common Wealth Games, which is the case this year.
About ten women and 15 men competed in the Elite events – among them were Namibians, but the foreigners dominated the race from the start, even lapping their Namibian counterparts quickly.
Germans Tim Hellwig and Anikka Koch won, with German Valentin Wernz taking second place in the men’s division. Stefan Zachaus of Luxemburg took third place for men. The second and third place for women went to Shanae Williams of South Africa and Silke de Wolde of the Netherlands.
Hellwig said they came to the race a “bit tired” because of the training camp in Windhoek just days before, and that it was hard, but fun too as the support from the crowd was amazing.
Koch seconded the good spirits and atmosphere of the race, saying that it was a tough race but worth it as she prepares for more international events.
Divan du Plooy, Namibian triathlete champion who finished amid cheers and encouragement from the local spectators, said he tried his best.
“On the first lap of the swim I stuck with the front guys, but then a wave took me out. On the bike, these Europeans know what they doing – flew on the bikes – it was amazing to see that,” he said. “On the run, I think I had a good run. I ran as fast as I could. I feel good.”