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Ellina Mhlanga-Senior Sports Reporter
COMPETING at the Olympic Games is a dream for many athletes and Anje Van As is one of the many young athletes who dream of making it to the world’s multi-sport event.
The up-and-coming triathlete and swimmer said, after watching the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, she started looking into serious competitive sport.
“I first really started looking into serious competitive sport when I was nine years old, when it was the Rio Olympics. I watched all those athletes perform to the very best of their abilities.
“I decided then that one day I would also hopefully end up at the Olympics or on the world stage.” While her first love was swimming, triathlon has become her favourite.
“My favorite sport is triathlon because of the variety that it provides. There is always something to do in one sport or the other.”
Among the major highlights for her so far, was winning gold medals at the Africa Triathlon Championships in the youth category in 2021 in Egypt and last year in Morocco.
Van As also won the South Africa Youth Championships twice in the 14 to 15 age group. And admits she has had more success in triathlon compared to swimming.
“I have been to more races that have more competitors from all over Africa.
“I am now 15 years old. I have been doing competitive swimming for eight years. But I started swimming when I was a young child and swam throughout my primary school years.
“I have been doing triathlon since 2016 and got into it competitively when I was 12-years-old to qualify for tours,” said Van As. She has since graduated to the junior category and recently competed at the 2023 Africa Triathlon Junior Cup Maselspoort, in South Africa.
The Chisipite Senior School pupil finished in fifth place. But for her defending the title in Under-15 at the Africa Triathlon Championships remains one of her best moments so far.
“My most outstanding in my regard would be defending the African champion title for a second time in the Under-15 category.
“My overall achievements give me (a) stepping stone into bigger events, as I am learning from my mistakes and improving.
“As a swimmer it would be that I made two ‘B’ South African senior qualifying times this year at Nationals.”
She attributed her progress in triathlon to her coach Pamela Fulton and Sheelah Crause in swimming as well as her previous swimming coaches Charlotte James and Riona Rossiter.
She also acknowledged her school for making it possible to get the best of both sport and academics.
“I would hopefully be able to carry on with both swimming and triathlon, since swimming was my first love. I am currently aiming to hopefully go to World Championships and the Olympics one day.”
Triathlon coach Fulton, who has known and worked with Van As from a young age described her as a committed athlete.
“Anje is an athlete who is totally committed to her sport – swimming and triathlon. She has been brought up in a very supportive family environment, whereby healthy nutrition, hard work, perseverance, dedication and commitment have been engrained in her.
“Anje started swimming at a young age and discovered she is a talented swimmer and enjoyed the sport. Her strong swim leg from years of commitment have given her the edge in triathlon. She often leads the swim section in triathlon, exiting the water first, or in the main pack.
“Anje has the incredible ability to be so mentally strong in a race and is able to dig deeper than her competitors, when required,” said Fulton. Van As has been fighting a lower limb injury. However, she is hoping to build on her performance at the Africa Triathlon Junior Cup Maselspoort in February as she is set to compete at the South Africa Championships this month.
“In a couple of weekends she will compete in the South Africa Championships in PE (Port Elizabeth), followed by Zimbabwe’s flagship event, Troutbeck.
“Once the season has ended, we will take some time out so Anje can focus on her O’ level exams and take time to address her injury, and bring her back even stronger next season,” Fulton said.
Online Reporter