Watch: Foster wins African Triathlon Cup junior ladies title
She clocked splits of 10:41 in the swim, 34:28 on the bike and 20:09 in the run to clinch the title in 01:06:39.
Taylor Foster delivered a commanding performance to claim the junior women’s title at the African Triathlon Cup Ebotse at Ebotse Golf and Country Estate on March 8.
Foster was utterly dominant, crossing the line in 01:06:39 and taking the tape almost six minutes ahead of runner-up Karli Lotter, underlining her strength across all three disciplines and her superb race execution.
@benonicitytimes Taylor Foster delivered a commanding performance to win the elite junior women’s title at the African Triathlon Cup Ebotse on March 8.
“I’m extremely proud of my performance. I really went hard from the get-go. I was really happy with the swim. I looked back and realised the gap was wide. Then I enjoyed the cycling. The run went really well. It was great to race against these girls,” she said.
The KZN athlete asserted control early in the swim, opening a sizeable gap after the first buoy and stretching it further with every stroke. By the time she exited the water after the 750m leg, she was already about 150m clear of the field, clocking a dominant 10:41.
She was followed out of the water some time later by a group led by Minke Bester in 12:18, with Dalya Swartz (12:31) and Lotter (12:39) close behind.
Foster rode the bike leg comfortably, knowing the rest of the field would have to work hard to close the gap, which had grown to nearly two minutes. She completed the four laps of the course in 34:28 and entered T2 with a 02:36 advantage over the chasing trio of Kara du Plessis (37:04), Lotter (37:06) and Shayla Harvey (37:07).
She then put the result beyond doubt with a blistering run, covering the two-lap course in 20:09 before cutting the tape in 01:06:39.
Lotter secured the runner-up spot in 01:12:22, while Swartz claimed the final podium position in 01:14:28.
Foster attributed her exceptional swim to years of dedication in the water.
“I train hard. I’ve been training my whole life for swimming. I really work on my swimming because I want that advantage coming out and into the race. I really just pushed hard. I had a really good wetsuit swim, and the gap just kept on growing. When I looked back, I was impressed,” she said.
The 15-year-old, who finished second at the Africa Triathlon Cup Egypt last year, also thanked her family and coach for their unwavering support.
“I’ve been training really hard since Egypt, which was the Africa Cup. It means a lot to me to go through everything with my family. I want to thank my coach and everyone for supporting me. It was a really great day.”
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