Quadriplegic athlete Pieter du Preez has vowed to return to Nelson Mandela Bay for the next Ironman after a flat tyre during the cycle leg put paid to his efforts at the Isuzu Ironman 70.3 World Championship at the weekend.
Du Preez, 38, of Johannesburg, courageously made it to the finish, but could not beat the cut-off time to qualify for a medal after the flat tyre dashed his hopes.
Du Preez is a C6 quadriplegic, which means he can only move his head, shoulders and arms. He does the cycle leg in a special hand cycle and the run in a racing chair.
He said the rules of the competition prevented disabled athletes from being assisted in case of a flat.
As a result of the flat, Du Preez was forced to push himself forward to the finish line for a distance of more than 50km, and is now on a mission to ensure other disabled athletes do not suffer a similar fate.
Du Preez is optimistic there would be a rule change in the future.
“Honestly speaking, it was frustrating, when you are not allowed help.
“I rode 53km with a flat tyre,” Du Preez said.
Though he is paralysed from the chest down, after he was hit by a car while cycling in 2003, this has not impaired Du Preez’s passion for athletics nor stopped him from breaking multiple records in the sports arena.
The current Ironman rules, he said, did not favour athletes with a disability. “The organisers need to understand I cannot change a tyre and should at least be provided with someone to fix it.
“This is [a] work in progress,” he said.
“I’m hoping one day all this will change and the rules will allow athletes with disability to finish [fairly].
“I am pioneering this [change in the rules].
“We must carry on working and educate each other about quadriplegics.
“You will definitely see me back in Port Elizabeth for the next Ironman.”
Du Preez’s love for sport took off after his accident and he began playing wheelchair rugby while in rehab.
The triathlete was partly inspired to rise above his circumstances thanks to his longtime coach and Ironman legend, Port Elizabeth’s Raynard Tissink, who encouraged him by frequently showing him videos of a disabled athlete competing in Ironman.
Tissink is a retired international Ironman champion with more than 30 finishes, four top 10 finishes and eight wins.
Du Preez cycles, swims and races – in the run section – using only his wrists, biceps and shoulders, due to lack of hand, finger and triceps function.
He participated in his first Ironman in 2013 when he finished in 6hr 36min, his fastest race on record.
Among his many achievements, the four-time hand-bike world champion broke the 10,000m world record in a racing chair in 2015.