ZIMBABWE’S triathlon ace Andie Kuipers claimed gold at the ongoing African Championships in South Africa.
Despite struggling with a nagging Achilles injury that forced her out of the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup Troutbeck in Nyanga last month, Kuipers dominated the competition, crossing the line in 02:17:18.
The exploits secured her a World Championships berth.
“I am extremely relieved because I really wanted the title again and I also needed the ranking points, so that is a massive box ticked for me,” an ecstatic Kuipers told NewsDay Sport yesterday.
“And I guess it's also off of the back of eight weeks of not very good running, it's given me like the confidence to know I can go away now and work on that and I think I will be the best in Africa in the next three years.”
Kuipers had thrown caution to the wind heading into the African Champs race despite not being fully recovered from her injury.
“My Achilles is back to normal now, although I have not had the full amount of training I would have liked and know my run won’t be up to standard,” she said.
However, Kuipers had prepared well, focusing on her swim and bike disciplines.
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"But I have prepared for that with my swim and bike. I am the strongest and most confident I have ever been. So, I have nothing to lose and I am looking forward to competing against the best in Africa," she said.
The race was made up of 1,5km swim, a 40km bike ride and a 10km run. Kuipers delivered an outstanding performance, getting one of the fastest bike times and holding her ground on the run to secure the win.
Kenyan athlete Megan Irungu took silver in the event. Kuipers' victory has boosted her confidence. She has set her eyes on competing in the World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, later this year.
“I am just really happy with that result and I guess the road to LA started yesterday (Saturday). So, yeah, I am happy and relieved that I was able to do that and now I've qualified for the World champs in Wollongong later in October in Australia so I might be going there if I can get my run to the level that it needs to be at,” she said.
“But I swam for my life, one of the fastest bike times of the day and was able to hold myself together on the run to get those ranking points and take the win.”
