KZN’S Mikaela Jonsson selected to compete in three world events
PIETERMARITZBURG, 19 APRIL 2016 – KwaZulu-Natal’s young, multisport superstar and 2020 Olympic hopeful, Mikaela Jonsson (Jeep Team), has been selected to represent South Africa in three World events this year. Jonsson (18) will be racing in the Junior Elite category.
On 24th April, Jonsson will be competing in the 2016 Discovery ITU World Triathlon Cape Town. She has also been selected to compete at both the ITU Duathlon World Championships in Aviles, Spain on 4th June 2016, and in Xterra World Championship off-road triathlon in Hawaii in October 2016 as part of Team South Africa.
The South African leg of the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series is taking place in Cape Town on 24 April. This is Race #3 of 9 international events that make up the series. This year, the ITU World Triathlon Series is an opportunity for athletes to earn Olympic qualification points. Jonsson will be competing in the Individual Sprint event - 500m swim, 20km cycle, 5km run.
Said Jonsson, “In 2016, I’m focusing purely on my sport after finishing Matric last year. I want to see how far I can go. To be selected for the South African team in these events is a massive achievement and in line with my goal to compete internationally this year. I’ve been training really hard these last few months and it’s starting to pay off.”
This weekend Jonsson proved she is in top form after her 2nd female overall placing in the Sprint Race at Race#2 of the TinMan Triathlon Series, which took place at Suncoast Beach in Durban on Sunday, 17 April. Jonsson completed the 600m swim, 18km cycle and 5km run in 1h13m just behind Tegan Gore, who won the women’s event in 1h11m. Daniella Amgo placed 3rd in 1h20m.
Said Jonsson, “I hadn’t tapered off for this race as I need to peak for the Discovery ITU World Triathlon next weekend. So I went in with tired legs. Saying this, it was a very close race. Tegan finished the swim and cycling legs just seconds ahead of me, but then managed to extend her lead in the final running stretch. TinMan was excellent preparation ahead of my big race this weekend.”
Editors’ Notes
PHOTO CAPTION: Mikaela Jonsson in Durban at Race#2 of the TinMan Triathlon Series, 17 April 2016.
PHOTO CREDIT: Kevin Sawyer
Durban is the best city in the world for Surfski
KWAZULU-NATAL, DURBAN, MAY 2016 - KwaZulu-Natal’s sunny Durban is a surfski paradise famous worldwide for its golden beaches, big waves and exhilarating downwind racing conditions. The city is home to some of the world’s greatest surfski paddlers, and hosts the world’s largest surfski series, breaking world records for paddler numbers. It is the number one city in the world to live in if you’re passionate about the sport.
“Durban is the best place in the world to paddle. We have warm water year round and no real winter to speak of. For novice paddlers, the Durban Bay is a sanctuary to kick off learning the sport, and for the hard-core extreme paddler, Durban also provides some of the best downwind surf one can find. It’s this amazing environment that has aided the growth of the sport,” explains Barry Lewin, a Jeep Team-sponsored athlete, who is also one of South Africa’s top surfski paddlers, and organiser for Durban’s Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series and the Bay Union Surfski Series.
Describing how it all began, Lewin said the sport first took off in Durban in 2001 when the Winter Surfski Series, run by Billy Harker, hit the scene. Before this, surfski was considered more of a fun hobby than a professional sport.
Says Lewin, “Under Harker’s management, people started taking surfski seriously, with paddler numbers doubling from 100 to 200 in the first year of the series. In 2003, 525 paddlers took part in the series, and saw Durban break the Guinness World Record for the biggest entry for a domestic surfski event.”
Durban-born Lewin is an accomplished river marathon and surfski paddler, with a number of local and international titles to his name. Notable achievements include winning the Liffey Descent in Ireland on his first attempt back in 2007, as well as breaking the 25-year-old K1 record a year later at Australia’s Avon Descent. But it is back home in Durban where his passion and dedication to the development of surfski has really grown the sport in recent years.
Lewin has been instrumental in developing Durban’s young talent, having founded South Africa’s first surfski development programme for underprivileged youth, as well as launching Durban’s first surfski school in 2006. The development programme, now managed by Lewin’s dad, Mark Lewin, has produced a number of the country’s top paddlers, including Sthembiso Mbatha, who represented South Africa at the 2011 Surfski World Cup, and is now a coach at the school.
Says Lewin, “It all started with a small surfski school in Durban to teach people how to paddle in the sea. The joy of sharing my passion for the ocean and sport is extremely rewarding. The school is the perfect way to try out the sport. Coaches include myself as well as some of Durban’s top paddlers, including Wade Krieger and Sthembiso Mbatha. Schools travel from across KwaZulu-Natal to take part in our clinics.”
Lewin’s success with the Surfski School led to him taking over management in 2010 of Durban’s premier summer surfski event – the Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series. Under his leadership, the series attracted major sponsorship from Varsity College in 2010, and then from banking giant, FNB in 2015. Since then, the series has grown into the world’s biggest surfski event, attracting record entries every year.
“The Varsity College FNB Marine Surfski Series is special because it is also an event aimed at developing young surfski talent in Durban. Every year, the final race in the 10-part series doubles as the Varsity College FNB South African Schools Surfski Championships. This places Durban on the map globally as the premier hotspot for up-and-coming surfski talent.
Other major surfski events now taking place in Durban include the winter Bay Union Surfski Series (April – May 2016), which is also organised by Lewin; the Durban Downwind from 25 – 26 June 2016, which also doubles as a World Surfski Series event; and the Wall and Back Surfski Series (October – December 2016). Surf’s Up Durban!
#JeepTeamSA
Editors’ Notes
For more information please contact Bronwen Blunden on 079 060 1905 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
