Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
IT is that time of the year when the triathlon family gears up for the flagship event on the local calendar, the Bonaqua Africa Cup and Multi-sport Festival at Troutbeck Resort in Nyanga.
World Triathlon introduced the Continental Cups across the five continents in 2007 to enable more elite and Under-23 athletes to be able to race universally at an entry level, so that they could earn critical World Triathlon ranking points.
Accumulation of these points lead to promotion to higher levels of events, which in turn lead to higher point earnings.
The Troutbeck event is the longest standing on the African continent.
But what is the secret behind the success of this event?
Responding to the media during the launch for the upcoming edition, Triathlon Zimbabwe president Ross O’Donoghue said; “It is just quality.”
“Quality and consistency. This event is going to be the 19th edition, and every single year the event improves in its quality.
“It improves in the international field that comes to Zimbabwe, and we have got a world class facility at Troutbeck Resort.
“Rick (Fulton, who is the event director) and the LOC (Local Organising Committee) team are the most dedicated volunteers that you will meet in this entire country, and very proudly, I say that this is the best sporting event in this country, and it is due to consistency and loyalty from the LOC team,” said O’Donoghue.
Fulton weighed in to say they have extensive debriefs soon after each event to get feedback from the involved stakeholders, building to the next edition.
“I would just like to make the point from an organisational point of view, it is a lot easier dealing with an institution like Troutbeck Resort on an annual basis, because we are not reinventing the wheel from a venue perspective.
“What we do after the previous event, that is 2025, we have extensive debriefs with all the key stakeholders including the sponsors, the technical teams, the athletes themselves, and we get their feedback.
“And then what we do is we take all of that and we analyse that information and that is when we make the improvements for the next year, because we can always improve and you can’t sit back and just say, okay well we will do it like we did last year.
“We work very hard on that, and that organisation basically starts at the end of the last event,” said Fulton.
Triathlon Zimbabwe have over the years managed to retain their traditional sponsors and attract various corporates to support the event that features athletes from across the globe.
Fulton saluted the sponsors, who make it possible to continuously host the event.
This year Zimbabwe will be represented by Andie Kuipers in the elite women.
The organisers are also looking forward to welcoming upcoming athletes for the Africa Junior Cup.
Peter Tanyanyiwa