IRONMAN South Africa
Spain's Javier Gomez claimed victory at this year's second edition of the ISUZU IRONMAN 70.3® Mossel Bay African TriClub Championship on Sunday.
He won in a time of 03:51:46 in his triathlon comeback.
Gomez was joined on the podium by last year's runner-up Matt Trautman and Nicholas Quenet both from South Africa.
According to a statement, Quenet led out of the swim and retained the lead for much of the bike race until he was caught by Trautman, Gomez, and Cameron Macnair (ZAF).
Gomez caught Trautman on the run and maintained the lead to the end also resulting in the fastest run time of the day (01:12:40).
"It was great to be back after one and a half years of no racing internationally. I had so many problems and injuries, but I finally got to train quite well for the last few months and I felt ready." He said.
In the women's race, Emma Pallant-Browne, retained her IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay Champion title, finishing in a time of 04:21:24.
Magda Niewoudt of South Africa and Eloise Du Luart of France rounded out the podium.
Pallant-Browne said it was pretty much a home race for her being from South Africa.
Meanwhile, organisors confirmed the death of a participant who was pulled out of the water during the swim.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm the death of a race participant at today’s IRONMAN 70.3 Mossel Bay triathlon.
"Approximately 250 metres into the swim, water safety personnel extracted the athlete, and medical personnel provided assistance before the athlete was transported to a nearby hospital," the statement said.
