{"id":266013,"date":"2025-07-11T14:05:27","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T12:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?p=266013"},"modified":"2026-02-09T14:15:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T12:15:58","slug":"south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What sounds like something out of a James Bond movie is actually heading to Johannesburg this July \u2013 and it could put South Africa on the map for one of the Olympics\u2019 most demanding sports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 17-20 July, the world\u2019s most promising young athletes aged 17 and under will descend on Reddam House Helderfontein in Johannesburg for the Modern Pentathlon World Championships<\/a>. But don\u2019t worry if you\u2019ve never heard of it \u2013 most South Africans haven\u2019t either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what exactly is Modern Pentathlon?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think of it as the ultimate test of an all-round athlete. Modern Pentathlon combines five completely different sports in one competition: sword fighting (fencing), swimming, obstacle racing, shooting, and running. Athletes must master all five disciplines to succeed \u2013 there\u2019s nowhere to hide if you\u2019re weak in one area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sport was created for the 1912 Olympics by Pierre de Coubertin<\/a> (the founder of the modern Olympics) to test the skills of a \u201ccomplete soldier.\u201d Originally, competitors had to fence, swim, ride an unfamiliar horse, shoot a pistol, and run cross-country. The idea was that a soldier might need to fight with a sword, swim across a river, ride a horse through enemy territory, shoot accurately, and run to safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"From
From 17-20 July, the world\u2019s most promising young athletes aged 17 and under will descend on Reddam House Helderfontein in Johannesburg for the Modern Pentathlon World Championships.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A sport that\u2019s moving with the times<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s where it gets interesting for modern audiences. The sport has just undergone a major makeover to make it more exciting and accessible. Gone are the horses (which made the sport expensive and unpredictable), replaced by high-energy obstacle course racing that tests speed, agility, and strength.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is like watching five different sports rolled into one action-packed day,\u201d explains Frans Van Niekerk, President of the South African Modern Pentathlon Association (SAMPA). \u201cIt\u2019s pure entertainment \u2013 from the tactical chess match of fencing to the explosive athleticism of obstacle racing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why this matters for South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t just any sporting event. South Africa is hosting not one, but two world championships in 2025 \u2013 a massive vote of confidence in the country\u2019s ability to stage world-class sporting events. After the July championships in Johannesburg, Mossel Bay will host another world championships in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBringing these events to South African soil is a tremendous honour and a powerful statement about our country\u2019s growing presence on the global sporting stage,\u201d says Van Niekerk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Home-grown talent to watch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Leading South Africa\u2019s charge is Tatiana Thomatos, a rising star who dominated in 2024 by winning gold at the U17 Pentathlon African Championships, the U17 Pentathlon Pan-American Championships, and the U15 World Championships. She\u2019ll be competing in front of a home crowd, wearing the green and gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For context, countries like Great Britain and Hungary are powerhouses in this sport, producing Olympic champions like Joe Choong and Michelle Guly\u00e1s. South Africa is looking to establish itself among these elite nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Modern
Modern Pentathlon combines five completely different sports in one competition: sword fighting (fencing), swimming, obstacle racing, shooting, and running.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What to expect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The competition format is designed for maximum excitement: – Fencing:<\/strong> Athletes fight multiple opponents in quick-fire duels – Swimming:<\/strong> A 200-meter freestyle race against the clock
– Obstacle Racing:<\/strong> High-intensity course testing speed and agility – Laser Run:<\/strong> The grand finale combining shooting accuracy with running endurance<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each discipline requires completely different skills, making it one of sport\u2019s ultimate tests of versatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger picture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While rugby, cricket, and soccer dominate South African sports headlines, events like this showcase the country\u2019s ability to excel in lesser-known Olympic sports. Modern Pentathlon has been part of the Olympics since 1912, and these young athletes are laying the groundwork for potential Olympic qualification in future games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor our young athletes, this is more than just a competition,\u201d adds Van Niekerk. \u201cIt\u2019s a chance to test themselves against the world\u2019s best and inspire the next generation of South African multi-sport athletes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event at a glance:<\/strong>
When:<\/strong> 17-20 July
Where:<\/strong> Reddam House Helderfontein, Johannesburg
What:<\/strong> UIPM U17 Modern Pentathlon World Championships
Disciplines:<\/strong> Fencing | Obstacle Racing | Swimming | Laser Run<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From 17-20 July, the world\u2019s most promising young athletes aged 17 and under will descend on Reddam House Helderfontein in Johannesburg for the Modern Pentathlon World Championships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":266017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"64","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"4","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"22","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[9272,22],"tags":[8427,8428,8429,8430],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-266013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-school-sports","category-sport","tag-modern-pentathlon","tag-modern-pentathlon-world-championships","tag-pentathlon-pan-american-championships","tag-uipm-u17-modern-pentathlon-world-championships"],"yoast_head":"\nSouth Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From 17-20 July the Modern Pentathlon World Championships will be held in Johannesburg, showcasing talented young athletes.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"From 17-20 July the Modern Pentathlon World Championships will be held in Johannesburg, showcasing talented young athletes.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-11T12:05:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-09T12:15:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/districtmailhelderberg.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@district_mail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@district_mail\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1ef7c27ab38d00bc00846bc186850060\"},\"headline\":\"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-11T12:05:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-09T12:15:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":710,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Modern Pentathlon\",\"Modern Pentathlon World Championships\",\"Pentathlon Pan-American Championships\",\"UIPM U17 Modern Pentathlon World Championships\"],\"articleSection\":[\"School Sports Zone\",\"Sport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/\",\"name\":\"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-11T12:05:27+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-09T12:15:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"From 17-20 July the Modern Pentathlon World Championships will be held in Johannesburg, showcasing talented young athletes.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"In a landmark year for Modern Pentathlon, South Africa will take centre stage as host of two major international championships.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sport\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/sport\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\",\"name\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/district-mail-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/district-mail-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/districtmail\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/district_mail\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/distrikspos\\\/\"],\"description\":\"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg for nine decades. DistrictMail was established as a newspaper in 1928, with the goal of keeping the communities it serves informed. Helderberg Gazette was founded in 1998, as a free title distributed to the same communities.\",\"email\":\"districtmail@novusmedia.com\",\"telephone\":\"+27218530211\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/1ef7c27ab38d00bc00846bc186850060\",\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Novus Media\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/districtmailhelderberg\\\/author\\\/novusmedia\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","description":"From 17-20 July the Modern Pentathlon World Championships will be held in Johannesburg, showcasing talented young athletes.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport","og_description":"From 17-20 July the Modern Pentathlon World Championships will be held in Johannesburg, showcasing talented young athletes.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/","og_site_name":"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/","article_published_time":"2025-07-11T12:05:27+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-09T12:15:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/districtmailhelderberg.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Novus Media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@district_mail","twitter_site":"@district_mail","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Novus Media","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/"},"author":{"name":"Novus Media","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/person\/1ef7c27ab38d00bc00846bc186850060"},"headline":"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport","datePublished":"2025-07-11T12:05:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-09T12:15:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/"},"wordCount":710,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg","keywords":["Modern Pentathlon","Modern Pentathlon World Championships","Pentathlon Pan-American Championships","UIPM U17 Modern Pentathlon World Championships"],"articleSection":["School Sports Zone","Sport"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/","name":"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport | DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-11T12:05:27+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-09T12:15:58+00:00","description":"From 17-20 July the Modern Pentathlon World Championships will be held in Johannesburg, showcasing talented young athletes.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"In a landmark year for Modern Pentathlon, South Africa will take centre stage as host of two major international championships."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/south-africa-to-host-worlds-rising-sports-stars-in-little-known-olympic-sport\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sport","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/sport\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"South Africa to host world\u2019s rising sports stars in little-known Olympic sport"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/","name":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#organization","name":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/district-mail-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/district-mail-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"District Mail & Helderberg Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/districtmail\/","https:\/\/x.com\/district_mail","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/distrikspos\/"],"description":"DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette has been the heartbeat of the Helderberg for nine decades. DistrictMail was established as a newspaper in 1928, with the goal of keeping the communities it serves informed. Helderberg Gazette was founded in 1998, as a free title distributed to the same communities.","email":"districtmail@novusmedia.com","telephone":"+27218530211","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/#\/schema\/person\/1ef7c27ab38d00bc00846bc186850060","name":"Novus Media","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Novus Media"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/author\/novusmedia\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Michelle-Gulyas-HUN-at-UIPM-2025-Pentathlon-World-Cup-Pazardzhik-Bulgaria.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":156589,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/spirited-athletes-triumphant-return\/","url_meta":{"origin":266013,"position":0},"title":"Spirited athlete’s triumphant return","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"14 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduced to the throws pentathlon by a friend and finding guidance through coaching at Bellville Athletics Club, Van Zyl has embraced the challenging discipline that combines shot put, discus, hammer throw, javelin, and weight throw.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bc83b805-3e41-49a7-b_44175.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bc83b805-3e41-49a7-b_44175.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bc83b805-3e41-49a7-b_44175.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bc83b805-3e41-49a7-b_44175.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/bc83b805-3e41-49a7-b_44175.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":267241,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/somerset-west-teen-throws-his-way-to-african-silver\/","url_meta":{"origin":266013,"position":1},"title":"Somerset West teen throws his way to African Silver","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"30 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Somerset West's own Francois Pietersen has brought home a silver medal from the third Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under-18\/Under-20 Athletics Championships","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Somerset West's own Francois Pietersen has brought home a silver medal from the third Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) Under-18\/Under-20 Athletics Championships at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta, Nigeria from Wednesday 16 to Sunday 20 July. The 17-year-old former Hendrik Louw Primary School learner, represented South Africa in the under-18 boys' hammer throw, achieving an impressive distance of 64,72m. His outstanding performance secured him a well-deserved second place at the prestigious continental event.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/520175476_1222374071_63337.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/520175476_1222374071_63337.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/520175476_1222374071_63337.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/520175476_1222374071_63337.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/520175476_1222374071_63337.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":60937,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/nifty-nippers-notch-up-20230412-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":266013,"position":2},"title":"Nifty nippers notch-up","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"12 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The nippers of Strand Surf Lifesaving Club were in action at the 2023 DHL South Africa Lifesaving Championships, which took place from Saturday 30 March to Wednesday 5 April in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.","rel":"","context":"In "Sport"","block_context":{"text":"Sport","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/sport\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":73771,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/sport-croquet-duo-heading-to-world-champs-20250219-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":266013,"position":3},"title":"SPORT | Croquet duo heading to world champs","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"19 February 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Two top players from the Somerset West Croquet Club, Judith Hanekom and William Louw, are en route to Tasmania to represent South Africa at the WCF PFC Mallets GC World Team Championships, from Monday 17 to Sunday 23 February.","rel":"","context":"In "Sport"","block_context":{"text":"Sport","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/sport\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a4d7c4cab26f45d698ee14421f681b01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a4d7c4cab26f45d698ee14421f681b01.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a4d7c4cab26f45d698ee14421f681b01.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/a4d7c4cab26f45d698ee14421f681b01.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":87158,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/nifty-nippers-notch-up-20230412-2-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":266013,"position":4},"title":"Nifty nippers notch-up","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"12 April 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The nippers of Strand Surf Lifesaving Club were in action at the 2023 DHL South Africa Lifesaving Championships, which took place from Saturday 30 March to Wednesday 5 April in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape.","rel":"","context":"In "Sport"","block_context":{"text":"Sport","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/sport\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/10ef27c1629d4f26bab769fd56d54540.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":269293,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/powerboaters-shine-at-strand-nationals\/","url_meta":{"origin":266013,"position":5},"title":"Powerboaters shine at Strand Nationals","author":"District Mail and Helderberg Gazette","date":"1 October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The second round of the National Powerboat Racing Championships roared into Strand on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September, drawing 49 teams from across South Africa and hundreds of spectators.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Team M11, consisting of Marc Gleed and Nico-Merwe le Roux, securing third place in the long-haul modified class.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/COKI3196_03254.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/COKI3196_03254.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/COKI3196_03254.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/COKI3196_03254.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/COKI3196_03254.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"NovaNews","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266013\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266013"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=266013"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/districtmailhelderberg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=266013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}