SAS, the choice of champions

SAS is a world-class facility that offers indoor and outdoor training fields, a state-of-the-art gym, access to leading sports scientists, doctors, coaches, physiotherapists and biokineticists, cutting-edge conference facilities, comfortable athlete accommodation and performance-nutrition catering. According to Rob Benadie, CEO of SAS, the vision is to be recognised as a world-class, professional sport training and preparation environment.

After hosting the national triathlon squads of Austria and Poland, Spanish triathletes Javier Gomez and Mario Mola – the two hottest athletes on the World Triathlon Series (WTS) – stayed at SAS during April. Gomez is the current World Champion and well on his way to an unprecedented fourth world title this season. Gomez won the World Triathlon Series (WTS) in Auckland, Cape Town, Yokohama and Chicago. Mola won his first WTS in London and is currently third in the series. Gomez has trained in Stellenbosch before, but it was his first time at SAS. He stayed there with his coach, Carlos Prieto. "I like the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport because it is a peaceful place and the staff very helpful and friendly. There is a great gym and the grass running tracks are very close to the academy. I would recommend this place for training camps to any coach," said Prieto.

For Mola, who is part of the Joel Filliol Training (JFT) squad, it was his first time in Stellenbosch. "It was a great experience. The staff and set up at SAS allowed us to focus on training, providing us with everything we needed to work hard and well. Awesome accommodation and nice food, very good training facilities, nice weather, etc. The atmosphere at SAS and in Stellenbosch was fabulous. I enjoyed myself so much." Mola recommends SAS as a training destination saying, "All the benefits make it an ideal place for triathlon training."

World-renowned coach Joel Filliol was also very impressed with the set up. "The Stellenbosch Academy of Sport has been a good choice for our pre-Cape Town Triathlon World Series camp. The location makes for easy access to the university's facilities and trails, and has good roads for cycling. The accommodation is of a high standard and the meals are taken care of, leaving us to focus on our preparation."

The Springbok Sevens squad calls SAS home. The BlitzBokke won the gold medal at this year's Commonwealth Games, ending New Zealand’s domination of the Games. They also finished the IRB World Series in second place, only a few points behind New Zealand. They won the World Series events in Port Elizabeth and Las Vegas and played in three World Series finals. Justin Geduld was part of the World Team. The Junior Springboks won the World Junior Championships in 2012, the first time they stayed at SAS. This year they became the first South African rugby team to beat New Zealand in Auckland twice. They lost the final by one point to England.