The 2023 Africa Triathlon Cup will be taking place in Bloemfontein on the weekend with a strong and competitive elite field lined up for the event. This will be the first race of the season for many of the triathletes.
The event, which will be staged at Maselspoort just outside the city, will require the triathletes to complete a 1500m swim, 40km cycle, and 10km run with a short and quick transition between each of the three stages.
Last year, Nicholas Quenet won the men’s elite event in 00:58:40, while Shanae Williams reigned supreme in the women’s elite race in 01:06:44. Quenet will not be competing in Bloemfontein this year, however, Williams is back for her title defence.
While there is a strong international field lined up for both the men’s and women’s elite races, there is also a very competitive South African field that will be in action with triathletes that competed at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. This includes Williams, as well as Dylan Nortjé, who claimed the bronze medal in Bloemfontein last year.
Williams told Bloemfontein Courant that she looks forward to returning to the city for her first race of the season, especially after illness cut short her 2022 season.
“I’m extremely excited to come to Bloemfontein and compete in the Africa Triathlon Cup,” said the defending champion.
“It will be my first race of the season and it will be an early tester to see where my fitness is. Unfortunately, towards the end of the season last year I struggled with illness and was unable to finish my season as I planned. Maselspoort is great to race at and I’m very excited to be back there this year.”
Nortjé, who will also be racing for the first time this season, expects that with several European triathletes competing it will make for a fast race, especially on the front end.
“I’m excited to race, although it will be my first race of the season. I’m excited to see how the body holds up and on which aspects I need to focus a bit more,” said Nortjé.
“It’s always a great event and I love it. I’ve raced it for many years and it’s also held at the perfect time of the season. A lot of Europeans will be coming out and it will be really fast racing on the front end.
On the local front, the All-American triathlete Jayme-Sue Vermaas will fly the Free State flag for her first major race after returning to South Africa following the completion of her studies at Drury University in the USA.
Vermaas said she’s just excited to kickstart her season with a home race and she will give it all on the day.
“I’m very excited to be racing in my hometown again, and because it’s Bloem, and being back in South Africa – I’m very excited to race,” said Vermaas.
“I’m just going to see what I can do on the day and how my training is going. We have a very competitive field for the race, but I’m just excited. I’m going to go out there and have some fun and see what I can do. Being my first race back for South Africa in four years would be fun. I’m just going to go out there with all the strong girls and race my heart out.”
There will also be a junior men’s race that starts at 10:30 on Sunday morning while the junior women will get under way at 10:45. The men’s elites start at 12:30, with the elite women starting at 12:45. – MORGAN PIEK
