Riddle, Van der Merwe storm to African Cup glory

A thunderous final lap and a half by professional triathlete Jamie Riddle saw him come from behind to claim a memorable victory over Henri Schoeman in the Old Mutual Wealth African Cup Premium Triathlon at Hobie Beach on Saturday afternoon.

Race day came 24 hours earlier for the elite men and women as both contests were moved to Saturday.

It was originally scheduled for Sunday morning, but due to the threat of potentially extreme weather conditions which had been forecast, it was decided at the 11th hour to run the race a day earlier.

Schoeman, the number one triathlete on the continent at the moment, and a two-time SA Olympic athlete, had no answer to Riddle's late charge as he stormed to victory by one hr, 51 mins and three seconds.

The pair ran their respective races side by side for much of the swim and bike legs, before Schoeman blasted out of the second transition to open up a small gap over Riddle.

However, the Durban-based competitor could not carry that pace through to the end as Riddle hit back with a surge of his own.

Riddle, who is ranked third on the continent, finished 50 seconds ahead of Austrian Philip Pertl [1.51:54], while Schoeman, the 2016 bronze medallist at the Rio Games, went on to claim third with a time of 1.52:26.

The win sees the Stellenbosch-based triathlete start his season with back-to-back gold medals after his triumph in an Africa Triathlon Cup race in Swakopmund, Namibia on March 23.

It is also his third consecutive win in this race on his "homeground" though he describes his latest victory as the sweetest one given the talented field on display on a grey, rainy afternoon in Gqeberha.

“To be honest, Henri wasn't on the start line for the last two, so this is the first one I can really be proud of.

“It is no secret I had one eye on the second spot [for Olympic qualification]

“We knew we would be on the bike together, so once we got away, it was just about working together.

“I threw everything into the bike, and that kind of hurt me on the run a bit, but we got it done.

“I felt empty, to be honest, I ran out and Henri went off at such a pace, and I knew I wouldn't match that, so I paced myself as best as I could, knowing what I would be able to do at the end and it paid off,” he said.

In the women's race, Vicky van der Merwe put in a classic display to break the tape in 2.02:45, a shade under a minute ahead of fellow SA athlete Amber Schlebusch [2.03:43], while Turkish star Sinem Francisca Tous Servera came home in 2.04:15 for the bronze medal.

Van der Merwe, who finished eighth in last year's edition of the race, said conditions made racing quite difficult, particularly the bike portion of the race.

“The swim was really cold and white choppy, it would not have suited someone who wasn't used to these kinds of conditions, some of the girls really struggled, I wouldn't say it was the fastest swim ever given the conditions and the limited visibility.

“On the bike, the front group rode together really well, I think we dropped a couple of girls at the start and everyone worked well as a pack, which is rare.

“I didn't race with my own bike, and I don't think I had the run I wouldn't have liked to, I didn't feel quite myself and felt a bit tight.

“It also wasn't a day to run alone because you run straight into a headwind and then get assistance on the way back

“I'm just happy to get the win and being able to potentially rubbers tamp my selection for Paris,” Van der Merwe said.

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