Sandman delivers thrills galore

A record number of more than 500 athletes registered for the 2023 edition of the FNB Sandman Triathlon in Swakopmund yesterday.

Athletes from as far as Germany, Spain and Zimbabwe joined their Namibian counterparts at the Mole beach area.

The popular triathlon, which has been around for more than 34 years, lived up to expectations with some record-shattering performances (pending verification) produced by Namibia’s young generation of athletes, while local resident Petrus Laubscher remarkably used the Sandman event to complete his seventh Ultra-triathlon within the space of seven days.

According to the unofficial results, Maja Brinkman clinched the Sprint event (400 m swim, 20 km cycling, 3 km run) for elite women and Nathan Chase the sprint event for elite men. Claims that both had set new course records were not verified at the time of going to print.

Brinkman said she had a tough race. “It is awesome to win in front of your family and friends. I use this event for practice and to test myself. I am going to compete in South Africa and hopefully at the European championships next year.”

Chase is looking forward to competing at the African champs and competitions in South Africa, while admitting it was an exhausting experience.

“I am happy with the way the race went. The conditions were amazing. The ocean was clear, calm and not too cold. I enjoyed the running part. Fourie Steyn gave me a tough time, but I used the transition and the run to put some space between us.”



Ultra champions

Benita Windisch continued her dominance and made it four victories in a row in the women’s Ultra race (1.9 km swim, 90 km cycling, 21 km run).

Jan Louis Mostert won the men’s Ultra division and said he felt ecstatic. “It took me three years to break through the sub-five hours barrier and I achieved it today. Now I will have to set new targets. Competing in the Ironman is out of my reach, that’s why I enjoy competing here.”

The formidable Team Desert Torpedoes consisting of Phillip Seidler (swimming), Gerhard Breedt (cycling) and Erich Goeieman (running) clinched the Ulta team event.

Seidler said he used the event as a training exercise. ”I am leaving for South Africa next week to compete in my first 10 km open water event since the 2021 Olympics. I will also be hosting a local open water swim event on 19 September.”

Breed labelled the race a tiresome exercise. “I faced some strong headwinds. I went as hard as I could. The route was very bumpy, with a smooth stretch on the Henties Bay road. Seidler is an excellent swimmer and his advantage took a lot of pressure off me.”



Iconic event

Event organiser Yvonne Brinkman said changes were made to the setup to accommodate the growing number of participants. Half of the participants entered as individuals and the other half entered as members of teams.

“The FNB Sandman has become an iconic event with a good friendly vibe. The weather did play along this time. It is exceptional what the youth has achieved this year. They are competing on the international circuit, they motivate each other and we can really thank FNB for sponsoring the Sandman for the past 15 years.”

Matt-Reec Izaaks won the Mini event which consisted of a 150 m swimming stretch, 6 km cycling and a 3 km run.