Ballito cyclist Madison Bateson sprinted to the biggest victory of her young career at the recent African Road Championships in Kenya.

The 16-year-old beat a strong field of riders from 13 African countries over a 68.8km course in Kisumu, on the shores of Lake Victoria, on October 23.

“The road race course was completely flat, with no climbs, but proved to be quite technical, featuring many corners along the 10km circuit,” said Madison.

“With the lack of climbs, it was difficult to create a breakaway, as most attacks resulted in the bunch forming a long line.

Throughout the race, I focused on staying well positioned towards the front of the bunch, knowing that it would most likely come down to a sprint finish.”

Her strategy paid off as she claimed road race gold in a thrilling photo finish in a time of 2:20:32.

The top-14 riders were all awarded the same time, showing the compact nature of the leading pack.Madison also finished fourth in the individual time trial (ITT) on October 21, having qualified for the championships through her victory at the South African junior women’s road championships earlier this year.

“After a long and demanding season, I couldn’t be happier to have finished one of my final races of the year by becoming African champion,” she said.

The young star now turns her attention to the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, where she is set to compete in the women’s road race on November 8 and the ITT on November 10.

“Being selected for the Youth Olympics came as a complete surprise, as I have always considered myself primarily a mountain biker and compete in relatively few road races throughout the year.

“I am incredibly excited for this opportunity and can’t wait to represent my country on such a big stage and give my all.”

Find full race results at cac-4africa.com.