A big win for both South Africa’s Jamie Riddle as well as Simone Ackermann; both managed to outrun their fastest competitors with about 50 seconds. While for Riddle it was the fast run of the day that brought him the victory, for Ackermann it was her amazing swim.
Swimming 20:17 minutes, Riddle exited the water right in the feet of Nicholas Quenet (RSA). On the bike a group of three formed, containing Riddle, Quenet and also Poland’s Mateusz Gluszkowski managed to eventually join them. Once on the run, Riddle was off. Running 33:03 minutes on 10K, he was by far the fastest runner of the day. While Quenet hang on for second (+0:48), South Africa’s Dylan Nortje – the second-fastest runner of the day with a time of 33:44 minutes – ran himself to third (+3:13).
In the women’s race, Ackermann soon made clear what she had come to Nelson Mandela Bay for: the win. Already after the swim, Ackermann was leading the way. Even though she was more than one minute ahead of the rest of the field after the swim, a group formed on the bike. Once she racked her bike back in T2, Ackermann continued her surge for the win. Noting a time of 38:39 minutes, she claimed gold. Behind her, Austria’s Tanja Stroschneider had biked herself back into the front of the race, after which she was able to hang on for silver (+0:50). Third place went to South Africa’s Shanae Williams (+2:47).
