Schwulst is pure gold at the champs
Tara wins a haul of medals on world stage in Egypt competitions
It was a superb Biathle/Triathle World Championships held in Hurghada, Egypt recently for the Buffalo City contingent representing South Africa as seven athletes brought home an impressive haul of 14 medals.
That included three individual and four team world champions as local athletes continued to shine on the Biathle and Triathle world stage.
The pick of the bunch was the ever impressing Tara Schwulst, who emerged victorious in both disciplines.
Schwulst picked up the gold medal in both the Biathle and Triathle individual races in the junior women division, and then claimed the gold medal in the Biathle mixed relay and a silver medal in the Triathle mixed relay.
“I was very happy to take the wins in both the Biathle and Triathle. It’s a great feeling when all the preparations and training come together on raceday,” said Schwulst.
“But I was surprised. Training had gone very well and I was feeling strong going into the races, but I did not know what the competition would be like, and in Triathle shooting is unpredictable and anything can happen on the day.
“In the end both races went well and I really enjoyed competing. My running was my strongest leg in the competition and I used this to my advantage to get a good lead into the swim and maintained my lead on the second run.”
It has been a top year in all for Schwulst, who has done well in a whole host of events, and she is hoping to continue her fantastic form in the near future and into next year.
“I enjoy roadrunning and am looking forward to competing for Born 2 Run in some local running races, the first one being the Lightning Fast 10km this weekend,” said Schwulst.
“Next year I would like to compete in SA Biathle and Triathle Champs in Durban and hopefully will make the South African team again, while I would also like to compete in a variety of local running races as well.”
The other two BCM athletes to pick up individual world championship titles were Anita Louw and Rodney Westgate, who enjoyed a wonderful champs, walking away with four gold medals and one silver between them.
Louw in the women’s masters 60+ division took top spot in the Biathle individual and mixed relay as well as the Triathle mixed relay, while Westgate in the men’s masters 40+ division took gold in the Biathle individual and silver in the mixed relay.
The other BCM athletes who picked up medals were Daniel Breetzke (U13 Biathle Individual silver and Biathle Mixed Relay gold), Nathan Gallacher (U15 Biathle Mixed Relay gold), Emily Raath (U15 Biathle Mixed Relay silver) and Matthew Raath (U17 Biathle Mixed Relay silver).
In all it was a wonderful effort from the local athletes that took part, with a number of personal bests posted over the event.
“From the results it is evident that the hard work has paid off for these athletes,” said Sammy Saunders, who coached most of the local contingent.
My running was my strongest leg in the contest and I used this to my advantage