BY FREEMAN MAKOPA
A TEAM of 15 junior elite triathletes are scheduled to leave for South Africa next month where they will take part in the triathlon championships in Durban.
This year’s championships are set for March 24, and will provide another opportunity for the locals to shine after impressing at the Bonaqua Troutbeck Africa Cup championships in Nyanga last weekend.
Rising star Matthew Denslow won gold in the Junior African men’s race, beating other 17 participants, while Mikayla Colegrave clinched the silver medal.
Triathlon Zimbabwe national coach, Pamela Fulton said the juniors are proving to be a force to reckon with on the continent and feels participating in many events will help expose them to international standards.
“We are really thrilled by our junior athletes because they managed to impress at this year’s big event which attracted the world’s best talent. So in terms of preparing for the event, I think we are on the right footing because the team is on high morale and they have shown that they are a team that has much to offer.”
Fulton said they were expecting to have more junior athletes from around the country and are hoping that Olympic hopeful Gideon Benade will ultimately qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Local seniors did not do well at the championships in Nyanga with German duo of Nieschlag and Nina Eim crowned Bonaqua Troutbeck ATU Sprint Triathlon African Cup champions after emerging triumphant in the men’s and women’s elite categories, respectively.
