No time to relax for world-class triathlete
On the back of his incredible 41st placing in the junior elite category at the World Triathlon Championships in Conzumel, Mexico, Dylan Nortjé is back in the Lowveld for a short break between seasons.
But the young athlete has not been sitting around.
Instead, he has participated in and won the first leg of the LowMed Open Water Swim Series and even held a “How to Tri” clinic, aimed at helping young aspiring athletes with training tips and drills for triathlon racing.
The clinic was held at Uplands last Friday. Nortjé taught attendees some swimming techniques, running drills and transitions between the swim and the bike ride.
“I remember how hard it was for me when I wanted to take triathlon seriously. We could have the next world champion in the Lowveld and we wouldn’t know,” Nortjé said.
I believe that what I take out of triathlon, I want to put back in. I’d like to make it easier for Lowveld kids to learn about the sport. There are not many opportunities for triathlon athletes in this area.”
Nortjé has lived in White River since the age of two and went to Uplands Preparatory and Penryn College. His first triathlon was the Da Gama Off Road Triathlon at the age of 12 and he soon realised that this was a sport he really enjoyed.
Also read: Local athlete on his way to Mexico for world champs
Halfway through grade 11 at Penryn, he joined the High Performance Centre at the University of Pretoria, where he is coached by Katie Roberts, a two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games silver medallist.
This year is his final one racing as a junior, as he will compete as an u/23 at the start of next season. This means not only racing against older and stronger athletes, but his race distance will also double.
In the first leg of the LowMed Open Water Swim Series, Nortjé won the open category of the 1,5-kilometre event in just 17:42. He will be swimming this distance next season.
Roger Mortlock was another White River athlete who excelled at the World Championships with a 17th-place finish in the 30-to-34 male age group. He completed the race in an impressive 2:05:23.
