Tim Hellwig and Annika Koch of Germany each won first place in the Elite Men and women category at the 2022 Africa Triathlon cup which took place at Swakopmund on Saturday.
Valentine Wernz of Germany and Shanae Williams from South Africa were the runners up, followed by Luxembourg’s Stefan Zachaus and Netherland’s Silke de Wolde in the men and women’s elite category.
The triathlon course was made up of a 750-metre swim in the Atlantic Ocean, a 20-kilometre lap bike ride along the promenade and a 5-kilometre lap run through the town, with 19 men and 11 women from eight different countries including the host Namibia, taking part in the event.
The event, organised by the Namibia Triathlon Federation (NTF) attracted about 30 elites from across the globe. Super Sprint and sprint categories were open to the public.
Speaking to the media, Hellwig and Koch both expressed satisfaction with their performances, noting that they had a good time competing in the event.
“Although we were all a little exhausted from the four-week training camp leading to the race, I had a good race which was fun from the start due to the cheering crowd also,” Hellwig said.
The triathlete recommended Namibia as a suitable training location as the weather is much warmer compared to Germany.
Koch said the race was good preparation for her next race at the World cup in Argentina which is the first race of the Olympic qualifications.
Namibia triathlon champions Anri Krugel, Imke Jagau and Divan du Plooy also took part in the event and came in 8th and 10th places in the women’s and 17th in the men’s category respectively.
NTF President Roual Spangenberg expressed satisfaction with the attendance and outcome of the event deeming it a success not only for the federation but for Namibia as a whole.
“What this means for Namibia is that we are capable of hosting international events and with this event hosting up to 30 professional athletes proved that we could definitely go bigger and better and we will do that next year,” Spangenberg.
He expressed that although they did not win, he is proud of the Namibian triathletes, noting that they still have a lot more training to do to prepare for the commonwealth games.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
