THREE local athletes are set to represent SA at the UIPM Obstacle World Championships in Beijing at the beginning of September.

Warren Whitson (Glenashley), Brandon Hulley (Durban North) and Aristo Nolan (Ballito), who train at Adventure Obstacle Training (AOT), will aim to secure a podium finish.

The world champs features athletes competing across various race formats and sees them crawl, run, swing, jump and overcome a wide range of physical obstacles.

Also read: Durban North resident helps U19 Italian cricket team triumph

The trio, who are competing in the elite category, are taking part in the 400m race (individual), the 3km race (individual), the 3km team race and the 400m relay events.

For Hulley, a spot on the podium is the aim, however he acknowledges the strength and depth of the competition.

“If I get a podium or a top five placing I’ll be very happy. Of course I’m aiming for the podium but I know it’s going to be tough because there are so many elite athletes from all over the world involved in the champs. It certainly will make it interesting,” he said.

Whitson, a father of two and a member of Search and Rescue South Africa (SARZA), said the training has intensified in the lead-up to the champs.

Also read: Danville learner earns SA honours in three sport codes

“We’ve all worked hard to get here and qualify for the champs. It has been tough to balance work, life and training. We train on average six days a week. OCR tests your endurance and resilience and we’ve been so lucky and grateful to our coach Claude Eksteen who’s helped us prepare. We’ve worked on running fitness, strength, speed and technique on the obstacles but we are looking forward to the challenge,” he said.

Those comments were echoed by Nolan.

“This will be my second world champs. I’m super excited about the challenge as Warren mentioned. It is also special sharing this with my mates and the team. Last year I competed as an individual but I feel it is more meaningful this year being surrounded by my teammates.”

For more from Northglen News, follow us on Facebook ,X or  Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter – here