Four young cyclists will be representing South Africa at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, which kicks off this coming weekend in China and is held from 16-28 August.
Photo credit: @Cycling_SA
BMX racers Alex Limberg and Maia Rawlins, road cyclist Ivan Venter and mountain biker Lebo Pebane will tackle the various cycling disciplines in what is predominantly a team event.
Going beyond their comfort zones, Limberg, Rawlins, Venter and Pebane will also be competing in cycling disciplines outside of their preferred skill set.
Limberg and Rawlins will compete in the BMX, Road Race and MTB Cross-country Eliminator (XCE) events while Venter and Pebane will race in the Time Trial, Road Race and MTB Cross-country (XCO) events.
In the cycling discipline, three gold medals will be awarded at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games: for Junior Men (teams of two men) Junior Women (teams of two women) and Junior Mixed Team Relay (teams of two men and two women).
The Team’s Code Manager Margot Gerber, Cycling SA’s BMX Commission Director, and Team Coach Tyrone Johns, KZN Cycling Development Officer and KZN BMX Academy Manager, will accompany the cyclists to China.
Detailed rider profiles will be released during the course of this week in the build up to the 2nd Youth Olympic Games.
The YOG is an elite sporting event for young athletes between the ages of 15- and 18-years-old. Distinguishing it from other youth sporting events, the YOG also integrates a unique Culture and Education Programme (CEP), based around 5 main themes: Olympism, Social Responsibility, Skills Development, Expression and Well-being and Healthy Lifestyles.
Twenty-eight sports are featured on the summer programme. In addition, the CEP gives the participating athletes the opportunity to learn about the Olympic values, explore other cultures and develop the skills to become true ambassadors of their sport.
Non-athlete participants, namely the Young Reporters, Ambassadors and Athlete Role Models, are also an integral part of the Youth Olympic Games experience.
Cycling South Africa’s President, William Newman, said: “The second YOG is another example of how sport can benefit our youth. I congratulate all the riders and management selected to represent our country and we wish them well on this great journey of discovery and competition. The YOG is a stepping stone to the full Olympics, with many of the competitors destined to go on to represent their respective countries and being the future international sport stars. It is with great pride that I wish the team well at the Games. Go out there and be great ambassadors for our country and our sport. Do your best.”
The previous Summer Youth Olympic Games event was held in Singapore in 2010, where 205 National Olympic Committees participated over the 12-day period.
Programme of cycling events – as per www.nanjing2014.org
Times listed as local time in Nanjing (GMT +08:00). Nanjing is 6 hours ahead of South Africa.
Sunday 17 August
09:00 Laoshan MTB Course – Men’s team event XCE
09:00 Laoshan MTB Course – Women’s Team event XCE
Monday 18 August
09:00 Laoshan Road Cycling Course – Men’s Team Event Road TT
09:00 Laoshan Road Cycling Course – Women’s Team Event Road TT
Tuesday 19 August
09:00 Nanjing YOG Sports Park BMX Venue – Men’s Team Event BMX Seeding
09:00 Nanjing YOG Sports Park BMX Venue – Women’s Team Event BMX Seeding
15:00 Nanjing YOG Sports Park BMX Venue – Men’s Team Event BMX
15:00 Nanjing YOG Sports Park BMX Venue – Women’s Team Event BMX Seeding
Wednesday 20 August
09:00 Laoshan MTB Course – Men’s team event XCO
09:00 Laoshan MTB Course – Women’s team event XCO
Friday 22 August
08:30 Laoshan Road Cycling Course – Women’s Team Event Road Race
10:30 Laoshan Road Cycling Course – Men’s Team Event Road Race
Sunday 24 August
09:00 Laoshan National Forest Park – International Mixed Relay
