The Mahikeng-born, North West athlete finished the 89km down-run in 5 hours, 25 minutes and 28 seconds ahead of last year’s up-run winner Wiersma, of the Netherlands.
This was Dijana’s third gold medal in a short space of four years after having lifted his first title in 2022. He then repeated the feat in 2023.
Dijana dropped out at the University of North West where he was studying Sports Science. This was due to financial difficulties. He then became a security officer, a job he still holds.
In 2022, Dijana broke David Gatebe’s 05: 01: 19 seconds record when he finished in 05: 14: 01.
Said an elated Dijana after his victory: “This was one of the toughest races, it was very hard for me after the first 30 minutes because I didn’t get enough rest last night, but in the end, I made it after such a tough challenge by Wiersma.”
Eddie Mothibi came fourth behind Dijana, Wiersma and third-placed Nikolai Volkov.
