Veteran triathlete wins third place in his age group

Nieuwoudt proves her mettle once again in the Midlands Ultra competition

6 hours ago

Tobie van den Bergh 1 minute read

A man in a yellow shirt is speaking to an unseen individual, conveying a friendly demeanor. — Andrew Thomson completed the Midlands Ultra triathlon on Sunday. PHOTO: Supplied

Middelburg’s over-60s demonstrate weekend after weekend that age is just a number.
Three of the town’s veteran cyclists, Pine Pienaar, Piet Swanapoel, and Kobie Groenewald, tackled the Blue Diamond cycling race on Saturday, while another over-60 athlete, Andrew Thomson, completed the Midlands Ultra triathlon on Sunday.
He finished third in his age group.

Midlands Ultra challenge

The individual ultra competition consisted of a 1.6km open-water swim, a 55km road cycle, and a 12km road run.
His times for the various segments were: swim 00:46:05, cycle 02:13:50, and run 01:15:30, for a total time of 04:15:26.

Magda Nieuwoudt finished third overall. Photo: Magda Nieuwoudt Facebook

Podium finish for Nieuwoudt

Former Hoërskool Middelburg staff member Magda Nieuwoudt once again proved what a phenomenal athlete she is by finishing third overall.
Competing in the 30–39 age group, she completed the three legs in 02:45:37: swim 00:25:46, cycle 01:34:05, and run 00:45:45.

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6 hours ago

Tobie van den Bergh 1 minute read

Tobie van den Bergh

Tobie started as a journalist in September 1975. He was appointed editor of the Middelburg Observer in 1982 where he worked until he retired in 2024. He received numerous awards, is a founding member of the Forum for Community Newspapers and has published two books about his work. Although retired, Tobie is still very much involved in community journalism.