Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 100, November 2017 | Page 31

won the Junior title at the SA Champs in Buffalo City,
then added the African Champs junior title in Egypt
a few months later. In 2016, he was second junior at
the African Champs, then added a sixth place and
an eighth place in ETU Junior European Cup events
in Hungary and the Netherlands, but things didn’t
go as well at the 2016 World Triathlon Grand Final in
Mexico. “I got a bit of heat stroke due to the 100%
humidity and did not finish the event, but getting to
the World Champs is still one of the highlights of my
tri career so far.”
keep training!” Then, looking ahead, he says he has a
few goals for 2018 that he wants to chase down.
“If the SA Tri Champs are at sea level, I might have
a crack at the Under-23 title, and then hopefully get
to African Champs as well. Everyone says third year
in my course gets harder, so I’ll have to see about
Europe, if the opportunity comes up, and I’d also like
to go after a 30-minute 10km, bring down my time
for swimming 1.5km, and do a few cycling and track
races.” Beyond that, he says his main aim will be the
2019 World Champs, and at the back of his mind are
the 2022 Commonwealth Games. “I’ll see how those
pan out and then plan the rest.”
Nick’s great results have also seen him pick up a few
endorsement and product sponsorships, including
one from Skechers shoes, and that, in turn, saw him
get invited to Los Angeles earlier this year for the LA
Marathon, which is sponsored by Skechers. “It was
such an incredible experience! I actually started with
the elite guys at the front, but stopped at the halfway
mark, as planned, to avoid overdoing things at such
a young age. But it was only once I stopped and saw
35,000 people coming past that I realised just how
many people there were in the race! My dad ran the
full marathon and we got to make a holiday out of
the trip, including seeing the incredible Golden Gate
Bridge. It was all just absolutely amazing.”
FUTURE GOALS
While his academics are his priority at the moment,
Nick says he still makes time for some racing, with the
Clanwilliam weekend being a must-do, as well as the
Slanghoek Triathlon in November near his hometown,
Worcester. “The races continue, so I do the academic
work throughout the year to take the pressure of at
the end of the year, and then it’s down to our holiday
FA ModernAthlete_HalfPage_MensTrail_paths.ai
house
in Hermanus to relax. It’s a brilliant place to
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