MULTISPORT
Nick says he is raring to get back to racing
Inherited Sporting Genes
Nick grew up in Worcester , where his family owns a pharmacy . Both he and sister Alexandra showed huge sporting talent in primary school , so when Nick was in Grade 8 , the family moved temporarily to Stellenbosch , so that the kids could benefit from the more established school sports structures on offer in the town . “ We lived there with my mom while we were in school , and my dad commuted regularly ,” says Nick . While he focused on competitive swimming , Alexandra focused on running , but then they both successfully changed over to triathlon . That was no surprise , really , given that their father was an elite triathlete in his younger days , racing in France in the early 80s .
After school , Nick enrolled at Stellenbosch University to study accountancy , and made the decision to focus on his studies , even though he had already received an offer to go race in Europe . “ I was sad to turn the offer down , but I ’ m definitely a numbers man , and I don ’ t think one can operate in this country without a degree , so I decided to stick to my studies , and then try to take triathlon to the next level ,” he says .
Thus far , Nick has completed both his Bachelor ’ s and Honours degrees in accounting , and is now busy with a second Honours degree . He has also passed the first level of the Chartered Financial Analyst ( CFA ) programme , a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally by the American-based CFA Institute to investment and financial professionals , and he is busy with the second level this year , with the third level to follow in 2022 .
“ One of the benefits of lockdown , was having more time to focus on my Honours and the CFA course ,” says Nick . “ When I finish my studies , I ’ m not planning to go work immediately , as I still want to pursue sport , and things were still on track until June last year . In January I had signed a contract to go race for three months in the Bundesliga with a German pro team , based just outside Berlin , but then the lockdown came . I was busy booking flights just as lockdown started , and while I was disappointed at missing that opportunity , it did allow me to stay at home , focusing on training still more , to strengthen my body and heart further , while banking some more months of good training . So from that perspective , lockdown was also actually a blessing in disguise .”
Emotional Stress
Even though Nick is now back to full training and feels ready to race again , the question remains whether he still looks back on those races where he blacked out , and worries that it may happen again . Or worse , does he think back to those races and ever think he could have died . He stops to think for a few seconds , then quietly answers , “ Yes , especially Mauritius . I still have nightmares about it , and even seeing the name of Mauritius , or the Mauritian flag , gives me chills and flashbacks . I try not to dwell on the past , but for the first six months , it was always at the back of mind , and I told myself not to push too hard . I was monitoring myself very closely , and it was just like trying to get over an injury … every little twinge makes you think it is back .”
“ Now I am still very careful about all considerations , but my mindset has changed , and I am able to push myself hard again . I remember my psychologist telling me that most people don ’ t go through something like this at 21 , and that it will make me see everything differently . I think it has helped me mature , and I am grateful for everything I have now . There were things I took for granted , because I was young and brash , but now I have changed many things in my life , because I have been given a second chance .”
While Nick has been on an emotional rollercoaster since Mauritius , he says the last few years have also been extremely taxing on his family . “ My parents were not there when I was taken to hospital in Mauritius , so they were getting calls from other South African parents who were there , or worse , doctors who couldn ’ t speak fluent English , so it was very hard for them . Once I moved home again , they were quite protective , so when I went swimming in the dam , my mom would come with to watch me ,
Nick and Alexandra as she was scared something training near home could happen to me , and she in Worcester
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also came to watch my running sessions . They would initially say take it easy , rest , don ’ t go out training today , but they ’ re more at ease now . I think they ’ ve seen that I am respecting my health , so they are more relaxed about my training .”
Having always been close to his sister , Nick says Alexandra played a huge role in his recovery . “ She was the one that visited me the most in hospital – she would just come chill with me – and she was my training partner afterwards , even though I could only run 10 minutes at a time . She would come with me for short cycles and swims , and she never left me , never got irritated , but she did joke that it was the only time in her life she has been fitter and stronger than me . I am just so grateful , because my family were there with me the whole way , and really helped me get through it , especially at times when I could not see light at end of tunnel .”
Dreams Still Alive
Looking ahead , Nick says he is still busy rebuilding his tri career after being sidelined for so long . “ I lost some sponsors at the end of 2019 , as I was not able to race or fulfil contracts , but during lockdown I made peace with the situation . In fact , my mind was at ease about retiring from the sport and focusing on my career in the business world . Now , I feel differently . I ’ m not sure what will happen with COVID , but I want to go race on the international tri circuit , specifically doing sprint & Olympic distance events , all with the aim of getting experience ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris . I have even been doing French lessons , which I can hopefully use in Paris .”
“ I know people have high hopes of racing coming back soon , but there have been several disappointments already , so I am using this time to bank more training until racing does come back . I ’ ve seen others suffer huge disappointment when putting races on their calendars , only to have them cancelled again . The way I see it , if races don ’ t happen , it ’ s not the end of the world for me , because luckily I am not relying on racing for income . I am just focusing on getting my degree – and I know I can write exams anywhere in the world , so if racing returns , I can go for it .
I just count my lucky stars for every run , ride and swim . I underwent heart surgery with the prospect of perhaps never being able to compete at any level of competitive sport again . Recently I have achieved new PB ’ s , won a bike race as well as the V & A Waterfront Torpedo in December , competing with some serious talent , including Richard Murray . To just be fortunate enough to do the thing that means the world to me again , is beyond a blessing ! It was undoubtedly the toughest period of my life , and my family ’ s , and at the time it felt like a death sentence , but I ’ ve gained more than I could ever have hoped for , and I learnt that this journey was more than solely about sport … these were invaluable life lessons that I needed to learn .
Images : Caleb Bjergfelt , Oakpics & Gaby Quenet