An action-packed past weekend saw Jeep Team athletes travelling across the country to claim podium in their various sporting disciplines.
The weekend began with Jeep Team’s Hank McGregor winning the Bay Union Surfski Challenge on Friday evening, with team mate Barry Lewin placing fourth.
On Saturday, rising Multisport star, Mikaela Jonsson, achieved Gold in the 800m at the SA Schools Athletics Championships in Pretoria, while Jeep Team’s MTB cyclist, Pierre Smith, won Race#1 of the Anatomic Dirtmax MTB Series in Parys, Free State.
Paddling
Jeep Team’s Hank McGregor claimed his second Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series title at the Bay Union Surfski Challenge in Durban on 6 February. McGregor won in a time of 33.27 minutes, followed by Matthew Bouman (34.21), Gene Prato (35.22) and team mate Barry Lewin (35.55).
Commented McGregor “If you win then the race has gone pretty well and that’s how it felt – it was a fantastic race! There are still five races to go and the standings are looking interesting with myself and Matthew (Bouman) level on points, I think, so there is a lot to race for and it is always exciting to dice with Matt!”
Multisport
2020 Olympic-hopeful, Jeep Team’s Mikaela Jonsson won Gold in the 800m in a time of 02m19s at the 28th South African Schools Athletics Championships, held at Menlo Park in Pretoria on 7 February. Jonsson also claimed Silver in the 400m sprint (60sec).
Mountain Biking
Jeep Team’s MTB cyclist, Pierre Smith, secured his first victory of the season at Race#1 of the Anatomic Dirtmax MTB Series, in Parys, Free State, on 7 February. The 60-km fast-rolling course saw Smith finish in 2h16min; two minutes ahead of Dan Fowler with Wayd Needham finishing third.
Team Jeep’s Gregg Brown finished fourth in Race#1 of the KZN MTB Downhill Series, which took place at the Karkloof Country Club on 8 February. Competing against some of the best riders in the country, Brown did well for his first time racing in the Elite category with his best run clocking 2:56.72 – sixteen seconds behind winner Tiaan Odendaal. Talented Junior brothers Jonathan and Christopher Philogene took second and third respectively overall.
Obstacle Course Racing
Jeep Team’s Jay Jay Deysel competed in Race#1 of the Momentum Health OatWell DualX Series, which took place at Hakahana Trails, near Hartebeespoort Dam on Saturday. Racing against fierce competition, including seven-time off-road triathlon world champion, Conrad Stoltz, and 2014’s DualX Series winner, Brand du Plessis, Deysel did well to place eighth in his category.
While not an OCR event, the DualX Series, which blends mountain biking and trail running, is the perfect platform for Deysel to improve fitness and stamina, giving him an advantage across all sporting disciplines.
Deysel then travelled down to KwaZulu-Natal to take on the world’s biggest open-water swimming event – the aQuelle Midmar Mile – alongside Jeep Team’s trail running athlete, Claudia Richard. Richard crossed the line in approximately 28 minutes whilst Deysel was well clear of the cut-off at around 40 minutes.
DURBAN SKIES – Bastille (Cover)