Hail SA’S world-beaters Odendaal, Maritz
SOUTH Africa’s Bradley Odendaal’s shares as a worldclass beach sprinter soared at the International Lifesaving’s Sanyo Bussan Cup in Japan.
Odendaal finished the twoday eight-team event with a second and a first in the beach sprints to continue a decade of South African sprinting dominance.
Ryle de Morny, the Lifesaving SA National Interprovincial champion, is South Africa’s most renowned beach sprinter with 10 World Championship medals, but in his absence Odendaal announced himself to the international lifesaving community.
Odendaal was a dominant sprinting presence as a junior but the Sayno Cup victory is his most significant against allcomers.
South Africa’s queen of the sand Mandi Maritz, unrivalled at the 2017 General Tire National Interprovincial and Interclub Championships, was the most consistent of the South African individual performances.
Maritz was placed second on both days in the beach flags and third on both days in the beach sprints.
She was also part of the triumphant Female Rescue Tube quartet that included Kwazulu-natal’s duo of Sashalee Nordengen Corris and Carmel Billson and Western Province’s Jodi Cleworth.
South Africa’s national coach Jay-cee Thomson applauded the consistency of the Rescue Tube team over the two days and said Maritz again confirmed her status as one of the best on sand.
Odendaal’s form was also another positive for South Africa and emphasised the quality of sprinter in South African lifesaving after Kwazulu Natal’s 20-year-old Jonathan Rorke beat De Morny in the Interclub National sprint final at Camps Bay.
South Africa, third in 2016, were placed fourth in 2017.
Australia won in Japan for the 10th successive time and hosts Japan ‘A’ were outstanding in finishing second. Sanyo Bussan Cup SA Results – Day 1 and Day 2 Male Beach Sprint – Bradley Odendaal 2nd and 1st Female Beach Sprint – Mandi Maritz 3rd and 3rd Male Surf Ski – Luke Johnson 5th and 4th Female Surf Ski – Jodi Cleworth 5th and 6th Male Beach Flags – Bradley Odendaal 4th and 4th Female Beach Flags – Mandi Maritz 2nd and 2nd Female Surf Swim – Sasha-lee Nordengen Corris 2nd and 4th and Carmel Billson 5th and 6th Male Surf Swim – Daniel Jones 11th and 12th and Byron Lockett 12th and 14th Male Beach Relay – SA 6th and 3rdth Female Beach Relay – SA 3rd and 4th Female Board Rescue – SA 3rd and 5th Male Board Rescue – SA 7th and 7thth Female Rescue Tube Race – SA 1st and 1st Male Rescue Tube Race – SA 6th and 3rd Female Board Race – Jodi Cleworth 4th and 5thth & Alice Edward 10th and 11th Male Board Race – Daniel Jones 11th and 13th and Sebastian Garreau 13th and 12th Ocean Women – Jodi Cleworth 6th (Day 1) & Carmel Billson 4th (Day 2) Ocean Men – Daniel Jones 5th and 7th Ocean Women Relay – SA 3rd and 4th Ocean Men Relay – SA 6th & 7th Overall 2-Day Results brackets) 1. Australia 854 points (429) 2. Japan ‘A’ 711 points (355) 3. New Zealand 703 points (349) 4. South Africa 596 points (302) 5. USA 558 points (278) 6. Japan ‘B’ 551 points (271) 7. Netherlands 472 points (236) 8. Hong Kong 315 points – Day 1 points (in