The final Continental Championships of 2023 are due to take place this weekend. The African Olympic distance titles will be on the line in Hurghada, Egypt.
After winning the African Sprint Championships in September, Jawad Abdelmoula and Vicky Van Der Merwe will be among the favourites in the men’s and women’s races, respectively.
A WTCS medallist from 2022, the ease with which Abdelmoula won the Sprint title will send a clear warning to his rivals in Hurghada. Moreover, he is the defending Olympic distance champion from 2022.
Meanwhile, Van Der Merwe carried her form from Blue Bay forwards by finishing 24th at the Tangier World Cup. The African Championships last year marked her comeback to elite short distance triathlon. On that day in Agadir, she finished 6th. A year on, she has the chance to take her comeback to the next level by winning the event.
It will be interesting to see how Abdelmoula and Van Der Merwe navigate the longer distance after their recent shorter race success. With the running speed they possess, both will be the favourites.
However, both Abdelmoula and Van Der Merwe have rivals that could prove a problem.
Jamie Riddle will also be eligible for the U23 category and could push for the win. Dylan Nortje won an African Cup silver medal in Troutbeck earlier in the year and could be in the mix. Similarly, Badr Siwane could give his compatriot Abdelmoula a run for his money with a big performance.
Van Der Merwe’s stiffest opposition will likely come from her teammates. Shanae Williams is an obvious threat although Amber Schlebusch will need to be watched after winning the Americas Cup in Sarasota earlier in the year.
Kahina Mebarki of Algeria could end up as the top non-South African finisher.
In both races, the small start lists mean that the packs on the bike will only consist of a handful of athletes. The entire field could stay together, but the likelihood is that the race becomes quite broken up. A better swimmer like Riddle may have to try to go solo from the off. Without a large pack to hunt him down, though, a long-range attack could pay off.
