BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE Triathlon Zimbabwe has expressed delight at the increase in the number of local and international entrants for the 2022 Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup which takes place at the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cupn Saturday.
Last year, the event suffered from the COVID-19-induced travel restrictions which made it difficult for overseas athletes to participate.
However, the 15th edition of the country’s flagship triathlon event will see the return of nations such as the US, Germany, Japan, Slovakia, Poland and Austria among others.
More impressive has been the number of elite junior athletes who will be taking part, with the men’s category boasting of 17 competitors from across the globe and 12 entering the women’s event.
The elite women class with six athletes recorded its biggest start list since 2019 when there were seven athletes.
“We would still like to grow it but Zimbabwe is quite a difficult destination for international athletes. But we a very pleased with the level of international representation which is extremely good compared to last year,” event director Rick Fulton told NewsDay.
“We have also been impressed by the overwhelming number of local entries for other supporting events and it’s looking like it’s going to be a well-attended event. We are already looking forward to a great day,” Fulton, who is also a Tennis Zimbabwe official, added.
Fulton revealed that preparations for the event have been smooth and international athletes started trooping in yesterday and all athletes will be expected at the venue this evening.
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The Africa Triathlon Cup will run concurrently with the Triathlon Zimbabwe National Championships and corporate competitions while there is an Africa Junior development camp in Harare soon after the big event.
Zimbabwe has no representative in the elite men class while veteran Greer Wynn will be the country’s only female participant in the elite women category for the second year running.
The country has a bigger representation in the Africa Triathlon Junior Cup with eight athletes, both male and female having already registered to participate at this stage.
Coca-Cola Africa are the title sponsors of the event through their Bonaqua bottled water brand while Cimas i-Go, Rooneys Event Infrastructure, Toyota Zimbabwe, African Sun Hotels and Troutbeck Inn Resort are key partners.
EcoCash Zimbabwe have also joined the family of the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup sponsors.
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