Former swimmer Competition Summer Youth Olympics 2018

Summer Youth Olympics

 2018 

Former swimmer runs her way to

triathlon Title

Gold Medal Win the South Africa

BUENOS AIRES - South Africa's Amber Schlebusch staged an exceptional comeback to overtake early leaders Sif Bendix Madsen (DEN) and Anja Weber (SUI) and win gold in the women’s triathlon at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games on Sunday.

The 17-year-old from Durban began the race with a very weak swimming segment, leaving the water in seventh position and 27 seconds behind the leaders.

“I was a swimmer before triathlon and it’s funny the swim now is my worst (segment),” Schlebusch said. “Not just today - swimming is usually my worst. I definitely need to pick it up.”

Schlebusch then struggled to catch the leaders, and was stuck in eighth place during the bike section.

“I knew that my weakest part was the swim,” she said. “And during the bike section I was in the pack at the back but nobody was really working so it was quite hard to close into the first two.”

She ended the second segment of the competition in eighth, and almost a minute behind Bendix Madsen, who led going into the run.

“I hadn’t ever seen these athletes before,” Schlebusch said. “So I didn’t really know how they could do the run. I could see them in front though, even if they were quite far (ahead).”

 “But on the run, that is where I put most of my confidence, and I just decided to catch them one by one. Take each one as it comes. I tried to close (them) down and (it) managed to work.”

Schlebusch trailed in third after the first of two laps of the final segment but ran each circuit 30 seconds faster than her Danish rival and almost 60 seconds faster than the Swiss.

“It was a bad swim but then I caught up on the run,” she said. “I'm really, really happy to end up feeling really strong.”

Schlebusch eventually caught Weber and then Bendix Madsen and was near tears as she crossed the finish line 11 seconds ahead of the latter.

“Now I can say I'm the Youth Olympic champion. It’s a pretty good title to have so I’m really stoked,” she said. “I’m in this sort of disbelief right now.”

Triathlon action at Buenos Aires 2018 continues with the men’s event on Monday (8 October) at the Bosques de Palermo.