Spectators unleashed a loud roar as Keegan Cooke crossed the finish line to claim his maiden Standard Bank 5150 Nelson Mandela Bay triathlon title on Sunday.
Port Elizabeth’s Cooke put on a dominant display as he finally got his hands on the crown he had tried to win for the past two years.
He ran a solid race, finishing in a time of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds, bettering last year’s winning time by just over three minutes.
After the race, Cooke said: “It feels really good to take my first win at the 5150 Nelson Mandela Bay, so I’m pretty stoked about it.
“I wouldn’t say I felt the strongest. I had a little bit of a gap coming out of the water, but I couldn’t find my legs on the bike.
“The wind was a lot stronger than I anticipated, but I managed to find my legs a bit on the run, and [carried] it home,” an exhausted Cooke said.
He was followed home by another Bay triathlete, Travis McGrath (2.03:42), and Joshua Hancocks rounded out the podium positions in 2.11:14.
Professional athlete Annah Watkinson made it three 5150 wins this year as she strode home in a time of 2.13.42.
Finishing fifth overall, she led from start to finish and came home almost 12 minutes ahead of second-placed Natalie Ross (2.24:43), with Toinette van Niekerk third in 2.30:13.
“It was an awesome race,” Watkinson said. “Conditions were incredibly tough with the wind, so you had to work hard on the way out.
“The swim was a bit choppy but nice, and a crosswind on the run made sure we had to work all the way home.”
With more than 700 athletes taking to the start line across the various races, there were other mini-battles concluded earlier in the day as the Standard Bank FUNTri individual and team races took place alongside the main race.
In the individual race, Caleb Meistre crossed the line in 1.07:13.
In the women’s field, Kiara Herman took the honours in 1.16:02.
The team event saw Team Rig 8 win in 1.09:15.