Former Grahamstown resident and old-Kingswoodian, Taryn-Maie Wille, has been chosen to represent the Springbok side in the Elite U23 Cross-Triathlon World Championships in July 2018. The Champs, which are being held in Denmark on 10 July, are one of five World Champs which will be taking place in the Fyn 2018 ITU Multisport World Championships Festival.
Over the course of 5-14 July, the Danish island of Fyn will host five events in Duathlon, Aquathlon, Aqua Bike, Cross Triathlon and Long Distance Triathlon disciplines. Most of the events will take place in Odense, Denmark. However, Wille will have to travel to Svendborg on 10 July to compete in her Cross-Triathlon event.
Although she has been participating in triathlons for six years, Wille has only been racing in the Cross-triathlon code for the past three years. She is coming off the back of a stellar performance in the U23 Worlds in Canada in 2017, where she was the first U23 woman in the competition.
Currently in her second year at Stellenbosch University (reading towards a BSc in Conservation Ecology), the 21-year-old is not letting her training interfere with her studies. Instead, she sees her training and her studies as complementary aspects of her life. “I get my sessions done before and after lectures and in-between if I have time, otherwise on the weekends,” said Wille on her training schedule.
“I am extremely lucky and so excited to have the opportunity to race at an international level,” said Wille. “It is a huge honor to have been selected to represent South Africa internationally and be recognised as a Springbok for a non-mainstream sport. Hopefully I can get more South Africans trying out Cross-Triathlons and having a go at racing professional level”.
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
Photo: Supplied
