The DHPS demonstrated remarkable success at the Sandman Triathlon with a contingent of 88 athletes.
Held in Swakopmund on 3 December, the event had over 500 athletes, establishing itself as Namibia's largest triathlon. Thanks to the efforts of DHPS teacher Ilona Sickel, the school had 27 teams and 17 individual starters. Participants in the team category engaged in a relay format, with one person swimming, another cycling, and a third handling the running leg. Meanwhile, individual starters tackled all three disciplines consecutively across four different distances. DHPS had athletes competing in all distances.
In the ultra-distance, encompassing a 1.9 km swim, 40 km bike ride, and a 21 km run, Philipp Sonntag secured a notable second place in his age group.
The morning saw DHPS athletes at the starting line for the standard distance (1 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run), with Ayden Jiao (7A) emerging as the second fastest swimmer in this competitive field. His relay team with Stephan Dreyer and Verena Zweier claimed second place, while another team consisting of Jana Kehrmann, Adriaan Maartens and Raica Coelho (grade 11) emerged as winners. Gudrun Marschall dominated the standard distance in her age group as a solo starter.
The sprint distance (400 m swim, 10 km bike, 3 km run) witnessed notable achievements, including Kyra Marschall's (7B) second place in the U15 category and Laura Voss' third place in the elite category. In the relays, the DHPS Fireflies, consisting of Kyra Marschall (7B), Anne Cramer (7D) and Lilly Marschall (7B) secured a second place, while he DHPS Trivengers, namely Thomas Riha (7B), Fynn Middelton (7B) and Kito Gallert (7B), won the boys' event. In the mixed category, the DHPS team of Ayden Jiao (7A), Conrad Dempsey and Nadia Roxin won, while the Büttner family secured third place in this category.
Last but not least, the starting signal was given for the mini-triathlon (150 m swim, 6 km bike, 3 km run). Emily Zander (grade 7) followed by Ayla McFarlane (grade 6) took a commanding victory. Her brother Max McFarlane (grade 9) earned a commendable second place. In the relay event, the team consisting of Tristen Büttner (grade 4), Regine Schäfer and Kyle Middelton (grade 4) claimed third place
The good organisation, the beautiful weather and the great performances made the Sandman a perfect triathlon event. A big thank you goes to Ilona Sickel and the sponsors, including IBS and Farmers’ Kitchen. The DHPS is looking forward to taking part again next year.