HILLCREST resident Joshua Steytler won a gold medal at the South African U23 Duathlon Champs which were held at Midmar Dam on Sunday, July 2.

Representing the Cape Town Triathlon Team, Steytler won in a time of 00:51.50. The 19-year-old is currently in his third year, studying Computer Science at Stellenbosch University.

“I was feeling good on the day of the race. I have had three weeks of training. I definitely needed the gloves – it was a chilly morning – at 07:00, the temperature was five degrees with a slight wind blowing.

“We had a quick warm-up, then it was race time. The standard distance is comprised of a 10km run, then 40km bike, then 5km run. It felt good on the first run, doing the two laps of 5km each in a time of 00:32:30, then to the bike leg. I hopped onto my seat, and away I went. The bike leg was four gruelling laps of 10km with lots of climbing, ” recalled Steytler.

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From there, the sportsman said it was the last 5km run when he managed to maintain a higher cadence which allowed him to produce his best 5km off the bike.

Steytler said he was thrilled to win the U23 age group and placed second overall in the entire race.

“It was a great weekend out. All the track training and mileage on the legs paid off. ”

He thanked the KZN Triathlon Association for hosting a well-organised event.

Putting his best foot forward

Steytler said he was introduced to duathlons by a friend when he was in Grade Eight and has never looked back.

He advised aspiring young duathletes to consistently work towards the goals they would like to achieve within the sport and even outside the sport.

In addition, Steytler encouraged other sportsmen to sacrifice a lot and put in hours of training.

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