NamibiaSport

The MTN Business Off Road Triathlon which took place at the Friedenau Dam on Sunday, had a record turnout of more than 160 participants, which was well in excess of last year’s number of 120. Tokkie Bombosch was the overall winner of the full event and winner of the Over 40 category. He completed the 1.2km swim, 22.4km hilly off-road cycle and 8.7km bush run in a time of 2h 14m.

Bombosch is a seasoned triathlete who has won the Namibian National Triathlon Championships, Mariental and Old Mutual Ultra Triathlons on numerous occasions and represented Namibia at national level for cycling and triathlon, including at the Commonwealth Games.

He said of the event: "It is very encouraging to see the re-birth of triathlon in Namibia. It was particularly good to see such a strong representation in the Rookie and Kids categories, with a strong family element after the event. It bodes well for the future of triathlon, particularly off-road. Well done to OTB Sport and MTN Business!”

Andy Chase was the winner of the U39 category in a time of 2h25m. The first female to cross the line was Elke Jagau in a time of 2h42m.

The first male team to cross the line in the full event was the Otb Sport team, which completed the course in a time of 2h00m. Mark Brinkmann was the swimmer, Heiko Redeker the cyclist (2008 Junior National Champion) and Frans Hosea the runner (winner of the 2008 Old Mutual Victory Race Series).

The mixed winning team comprised of Tristan McDonald as swimmer, Dennis McDonald as cyclist and Helena Ipinge as runner. They completed the course in a time of 2h20.

The Female team category was won by Team Smart in a time of 2h43m and comprised of Martina Buckendorf as swimmer, Sigi Bassingthwaighte as cyclist and Marnie Dannhauser as runner.

The rookie event comprised of a 600m swim, a 10km cycle and a 4.4km run. The overall winner and first male in the U39 category was Pierre van Rensburg in a time of 1h06. The winner of the Over 40 male category was Max Shaffer in a time of 1h25. The winner of the female rookie U39 was Marguerite de Villiers in a time of 1h19. Berrit Graf won the Over 40 category in a time of 1h43.

The U12 event which comprised of a 300m swim, a 5km off-road cycle and 2.9km run was won by Herbert Peters in a time of 0h38, while Kia Borg won the Female U12 category in a time of 1h03.

Otb Sport, the event organisers, said they were delighted with the turnout and believe that the triathlon in Namibia is showing healthy growth, reflecting the international trend. Otb Sport thanked MTN Business, whose representatives were present at the event, for their generous sponsorship without which the scale and calibre of the event would not have been possible.

Attached full results