Horne puts on brave fight to medal at African Triathlon Cup Ebotse
He finished third in 59:21, behind winner Nathan Chase (58:33) and Ryan Viviers (59:17).
Namibia’s Nathan Chase may rightly have grabbed the headlines with his African Triathlon Cup Ebotse junior men’s victory on March 8, but Nicholas Horne produced a performance that was just as impressive in claiming third place.
Out of podium contention after losing ground in the swim, Horne fought his way back into the race with a determined effort, producing one of the strongest runs of the day to secure a place on the podium.
He exited the water in eighth place after covering the 750m swim in 10:54, almost a minute behind leader Anthony Clayton, who was first out of the water in 09:55.
Horne worked hard on the bike leg but faced the difficult task of chasing a leading group of Chase, Oliver Delport and Ryan Viviers, who combined well to protect their advantage.
Horne entered T2 in fifth place behind Viviers (29:45), Chase (30:03), Delport (30:07) and Clayton (30:31) after completing the four laps of the bike course in 30:51.
The Meyerton resident, however, made significant inroads during the run. He reeled in Delport and Clayton before surging to third place, clocking the fastest run split of the race — 16:20 for the 5km leg.
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Chase secured the win in 58:33, with Viviers finishing second in 59:17, while Horne rounded out the podium in 59:21 as all three athletes dipped under the one-hour mark.
Despite the strong comeback, Horne was not entirely satisfied with his overall performance, though he acknowledged clear signs of progress.
“The swim was good. It was a rough swim, but there were lots of positives. I’ve struggled with my swim in the past and have been focusing a lot on improving it,” he said.
“Being a junior and still in school makes things tricky. It’s my final year, so it’s a big year.”
“Overall, I’m not completely happy with the placing, but there are plenty of positives. Last year at this race I came out of the water about two minutes behind. This time it was around 50 seconds, so that’s a big improvement considering how much focus I’ve put on my swim.”
“They worked together in a pack on the bike and when you’re riding alone it’s ten times harder. I just tried to limit the losses and managed to reel in a couple of athletes on the run to finish third.”
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