daniel chigunwe
Ellina Mhlanga
Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S pair of Rohnan Nicholson and Callum Smith are confident they will stand their own when they compete at the Africa Triathlon Championships in Egypt this weekend.
The continental event is due to take place from tomorrow to Sunday in Hurghada, Egypt. Nicholson and Smith are going to compete in the Under-15 Boys Youth Super Sprint where they will face athletes from South Africa, Libya, Morocco and hosts Egypt.
Their race is scheduled for tomorrow.
The two left the country late Tuesday and were scheduled to arrive in Egypt yesterday evening.
With the local season just starting, Nicholson and Smith had the chance to compete in two events that were staged at Mount Pleasant Pool as they geared up for the championships.
Speaking just before their departure on Tuesday, Nicholson said preparations have been good and believes competing in the two local events has been helpful in some aspects.
“They have been good. I have been pushing to get the last few training sessions. In a way it has (helped) because we can practice our transitions, to try and speed up our transitions to the extent it can’t speed up anymore,” said Nicholson.
Nicholson and Smith were part of the team that represented the country at the Africa Championships last year in Morocco.
Going into the race, Nicholson said he knows what to expect and would want to surpass his previous performance when he finished sixth.
“Yes I do because we have raced some of them and so we can prepare for this and look at previous results.
“It will be hard but at the end of the race you just have to make sure that you have (put in) 100 percent (effort),” said Nicholson.
His teammate Smith getting back into competition has been helpful to his build-up.
“Yes I felt it was helpful for me getting back into racing again after the off-season although I still trained during the break. It was good to get to see my progress and where I am and what I have achieved with my training.
“My training has been going well but I have had a few setbacks along the way that hindered my training a bit,” said Smith.
Smith is also hoping to build on his experience from last year.
“Last year I raced in the Africa Championships in Morocco and I did well placing fourth even though I was in the bottom half of the age-group.
“I am expecting a very tough race against the boys in our race,” said Smith.
Also attending the championships is former Triathlon Zimbabwe president David Ellis, who is the World Triathlon appointed technical delegate and Rick Fulton, who will be officiating at the event
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