Foreign invasion sees Marquardt and Davies dominate Hobie Beach

American Matthew Marquardt and Brit Daisy Davies surged to victory in commanding fashion, each claiming their first Isuzu Ironman SA African Championship titles at Hobie Beach on a thrilling Sunday. The 28-year-old Marquardt clinched his third Ironman victory in less than a year, breaking away on the bike to leave his rivals playing catch-up. Marquardt, a medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, was the first male athlete to cross the finish line, coming in at seven hours, 42 minutes and 57 seconds.

Britain’s Joe Skipper followed in a distant but impressive second, marking a strong comeback to cross the finish line in 7:56:19 while Dutch triathlete Tristan Olij took third place in 7:58:29. “I am just over the moon happy to be able to take the win here,” Marquardt said. “Every win is very special because you never know when the next one is going to be.

So, I am really trying to cherish this win as much as possible. “A lot of things went right today, but a lot of things went wrong, believe it or not. “So, to be able to work through those and still come out on top with the performance I did, and I am super happy with.

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“Now, I get to enjoy a little bit of South Africa for the next couple of days before I head off to the US.” Marquardt had a slow finish in the swim and a few issues on the bike, but he made up the time in the run. He was pleased to have been able to persevere and win the race. “I wasn’t the happiest to have lost the front group in the swim, so that is the one thing I wish could have gone better.

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