Yesterday was a pretty monumental day in Port Elizabeth. Arguably one of the best fields in the world lines their toes in the sand at Hobie Beach to see who would be the last guy to pop. We held our breaths as we had 2 capable South Africans in the field, either of who could walk away with the prize. One of them did and he did it by fighting like a champion. The transition in the arsenal of a pro athlete is one which takes more hard work and dedication than you could imagine.
I have seen this man change his physical appearance, get his swimming back to absolute world class, improve his run where it’s now a weapon and continue to be one of the best bikers in the game. He belief to take on the absolute best in the world is blossomed and it’s a beautiful thing to have watched.
Unwilling to give up his title as the best Ironman athlete in SA, his local race, he goes about preparing for this race in the most meticulous way. Each win executed in a slightly different way. Each celebrated as if it was his last day. Look at the emotion on his face in that picture.
It matters.
It’s important.
Let’s all put our hands together and celebrate Raynard Tissink. He will be completely lost in the media what with a Saffa winning The Masters as well, but to me, he is a hero and someone I am going to celebrate all week. Cheers.
Luke Ferguson
April 11, 2011 at 1:28 pmSo stoked Raynard Tissink won! Nailbiter of a race!
Pamela
April 11, 2011 at 1:47 pmWhat a race!!!! Was awesome to watch, had goosebumps watching him run. Was fanastic.
Andrew
April 11, 2011 at 1:55 pmImpressive by Tissink indeed. But surely Chrissie Wellington’s performance was better, if not one of the best ever. She finished 8th overall and ran the fastest marathon on the day.
Urban Ninja
April 11, 2011 at 2:01 pmHi Andrew,
I am not skipping her. Indeed her performance was incredible. My article is about Raynard because I loved the way the race played out and how much he has done in the last 18 months to become what you saw yesterday.
Chrissie is a phenom and yes, her performance was amazing yesterday. This article was not about who had the best performance on the day. That may have gone to a no name age grouper who balances two jobs to feed his kids and took 2 and a half hours off his PB by riding at 3:30am in the morning. These stories exist.
Chrissie’s run and her times set yesterday will stand for a long time. There is no doubt she is the worlds best Ironman athlete and in my opinion, possibly the most dominant athlete in any sport in the world at the moment. That is not under question.
My salute was to Ray for a specific reason and I hope you are able to see that.
Andrew
April 11, 2011 at 2:15 pmJust reread the post, and you’re right, my apologies. Raynard Tissink is a legend of SA sport (his longevity alone is impressive) and does not get the recognition that he deserves.
I’m still in awe of Chrissie Wellington’s run, my brain just stops working when I try and understand it. Reminds me of Frith van der Merwe’s win at Comrades all those years back.
natalie tissink
April 11, 2011 at 11:54 pmGreat article – much appreciated 🙂
Has the Ironman Lost Public Appeal to Port Elizabeth?
April 13, 2011 at 10:29 am[…] The Importance | Urban Ninja Yesterday was a pretty monumental day in Port Elizabeth. Arguably one of the best fields in the world lines their toes in the sand at Hobie Beach to see who. … Unwilling to give up his title as the best Ironman athlete in SA, his local race, he goes about preparing for this race in the most meticulous way. Each win executed in a slightly different way. Each celebrated as if it was his last day. Look at the emotion on his face in that picture. It matters. It’s important. … http://www.urban-ninja.co.za/ — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 04:16:53 -0700 […]