Keeping with the same line-up that won them the Woolworths X-Tri in December last year, the Fairtree Imperial Canondale team from Stellenbosch proved itself once again as they clinched victory in the Xterra South Africa Triathlon in the Elgin Valley on Saturday and Sunday (21 and 22 January).
The team comprising Luyanda Tobigunya, Thembela Lukalo and Annie Thornton, produced a stellar performance to finish at the top of the podium.
Thornton was one of the first out of the water doing the swim with a time of 00:24:23, giving Tobigunya an excellent lead on the mountain bike. He unfortunately got a sidewall cut to one of his tyres in the first 5 km of the leg, but still managed to clock an unbelievable time of 00:01:23 on the bike. Lukalo finished the race off with an excellent run, completing the course in 47 minutes.
Despite being a mixed triathlon team, they still managed to beat the all-men’s teams on the day.
“This year we started our swimming programme to ensure our athletes could compete individually, and we look forward to some exciting results in future triathlons,” said Chris Norton of Team Fairtree Imperial Canondale.
“This was a great start to the year, and we are looking forward to an exciting and jam-packed race calendar starting this coming weekend.”
He further expressed gratitude to the team’s valued partners and sponsors, for their continued support and making participation possible. “Thanks also to Xterra South Africa and Conrad Scholtz for the entry for the team.”
