MULTISPORT
Matters of
the Heart
On the way to winning the Freshpak Fitness Festival Triathlon
Nick is back in the saddle after his serious health scare
When Nick Quenet blacked out during the bike leg of the 2016 World Triathlon Grand Final in Mexico , he put it down to the heat and 90 % humidity , and though disappointed , he simply got back to training for his next event . After all , he was young and supremely fit , and making the most of his talent , with justifiably high hopes of someday competing on the pro triathlon circuit . However , it was just the start of a harrowing medical experience that appeared to have robbed him of that sporting future . – BY SEAN FALCONER
Nick ’ s path to a career in triathlon seemed well on track . In 2015 he had won the Junior title at the SA Champs in Buffalo City , then added the African Champs junior title in Egypt a few months later . Earlier in 2016 , he was second junior at the African Champs , then added top 10 finishes in two ETU Junior European Cup events in Hungary and the Netherlands , but things didn ’ t go as well in Mexico that September . And with hindsight , Nick says he should have heeded the warning his body was sending him .
“ It started earlier when I was part of the Stellenbosch University swimming team . The standard protocol before going to national champs was to go for a medical screening , and the doctor picked up a murmur in my ECG . The doc said I could take it further , but that it didn ’ t seem too much to worry about , so I didn ’ t worry about it . Then Mexico happened , and I should have looked into it , but I still didn ’ t realise it was so serious ,” says Nick .
Things went smoothly for the next few years , with more podium finishes coming regularly , but then in February 2019 Nick was racing at altitude in Zimbabwe and suffered another blackout mid-race . Once again , he thought it was just a side-effect of the racing conditions , thus not something to be overly worried about . “ I thought it was due to the heat on the day , and the altitude , because I had not been able to get away for altitude training due to my studies .”
Images : Nicholas Campbell , Oakpics , Chris Hitchcock , Caleb Bjergfelt & Gaby Quenet
58 ISSUE 138 FEBRUARY 2021 / www . modernathlete . co . za