South African Van Niekerk hopes to chase gold in Kwale after silver finish in Eldoret last year
- Elias Makori
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Diani, Saturday, November 22,2025
South African Emile Van Niekerk returns to the spotlight on Sunday afternoon, intent on upgrading the elite men’s 163.8-kilometre silver medal he claimed at last year’s CAC Road Cycling African Championships in Eldoret to gold this time round.
Van Niekerk finished runner-up to Eritrea’s Astana Kazakstan Tour team rider Henok Mulueberhan with Uganda’s Charles Kagimu sealing third in Eldoret.
He will now take on the unforgiving Kwale course with gold firmly in his crosshairs.
The stakes could not be higher as South Africa already tops the medal standings with four gold medals, signaling their dominance at this year’s championship.
Their campaign was launched in style on Thursday when Joshua Dike stormed to the men’s Under-23 Individual Time Trial crown, stopping the clock at 16:45.90.
Lucy Young followed suit with a polished ride to clinch the women’s elite ITT title in 18:34.44, before Brandon Downes extended the nation’s golden streak with a sharp 16:29.22 in the men’s ITT.
On Saturday afternoon, the in-form Hayley Preen delivered yet another masterclass, clocking 3:10:31 to triumph in the elite women’s 107.6km race, handing South Africa its fourth gold medal of the championships.
Already a gold medalist in this year's Championship, Downes will be chasing his second gold in the grueling road race, expecting nothing less than a fierce battle when the peloton rolls out.
“The road race will be tough because there are going to be a lot of nations competing, so we expect tough competition,” he said after his ITT win.
Team Kenya will field a 10-man squad featuring Cornelius Kemboi, Peter Karanja, Richard Mitati, Kenneth Mungai and Peterson Wairimu, all looking to shine on home soil.
Before the elite battle, the junior men’s 107.6km race will set the tempo, promising to ignite an action-packed day of high-octane cycling.
Kenya's hopes will rest on Ivan Malakwen, John Muchiri, Joseph Owaga, Davis Kamau and Billy Mbolo.
Davis Kamau underlined his determination ahead of the showdown.
“My target is to try and do my best to get good results for Kenya,” he said.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya has already warned riders to prepare for a stern test.
“I urge the cyclists to brace for tough competition on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
Comments