Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWEAN triathlete Andie Kuipers had an encouraging outing over the weekend as she began her Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games qualification campaign at the Africa Triathlon Sprint Championships Blue Bay in Mauritius.
Kuipers placed fourth in the elite women and sixth overall with a time of 1 hour 11 minutes 34 seconds in a field of seven.
The championships also included the Under-23 athletes.
South Africa’s Shanae Williams won the race in 1 hour 7 minutes 20 seconds.
However, for Kuipers, the focus was more on finishing within the time that will allow her to get points from the competition.
Triathlon Zimbabwe national coach Pamela Fulton, who was in Mauritius with Kuipers and Rachel O’Donoghue, was pleased with the outcome.
“Yes, she’s within the time to get points, so she’s really happy. Just a really good place for her to be.
“I am proud of her, and yeah having some points so far to start with, it’s a bit of a weight off her shoulders, I am sure,” said Fulton.
Zimbabwe had two athletes in Mauritius, with Kuipers competing in the Sprint Championships and rising star O’Donoghue taking to the start line for the Africa Triathlon Junior Cup.
O’Donoghue dominated the junior women’s category to win the race in 1 hour 14 minutes 18 seconds.
Keira Rajabalee from Mauritius came second in 1 hour 20 minutes 01 seconds.
South Africa’s Melinda Dippenaar crossed the finish line with a time of 1 hour 28 minutes 21 seconds to complete the top three.
“It was a really good day yesterday (Sunday) . . . Started with Rachel’s event, and she was first out of the water and remained far ahead, kept building her gap the whole way.
“The boys started less than 10 minutes ahead, so she kept catching the boys and having a nice target, something to look forward to and something to chase.
“It just would have been nice to have someone, a female, to really challenge her. But she had a really good performance, probably exactly as we expected and happy for her and really proud of her,” said Fulton.
While for O’Donoghue the focus is more on development, Kuipers is working towards qualification for the LA28 Olympics.
Going into Sunday’s race, Kuipers had last competed in March at the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup in Nyanga and the Africa Triathlon Premium Cup Swakopmund in Namibia.
However, the races didn’t go as she expected, and she had hoped for a better showing in Mauritius since the Olympic qualification window is now open.
“She also had a good race. She had hoped to be a little bit further forward in the swim. She’s still like 50, 55 seconds off the pace, which means she’s still chasing on the bike.
“The great thing about Andie is she got stronger and stronger as the bike went on and also on the run.
“Her first lap, you could tell she was tired and having to push hard on the bike, trying to always chase. So, it’s really still important for her to get out that water with those front ladies to save some energy for the run,” said Fulton.
While she still has some work to do in some areas, Fulton is pleased with Kuipers’ progress.
“In her first run, first lap, she lost a little bit of ground, but in that second lap, she just picked it up and got stronger and stronger throughout the run.
