Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE’S leading junior female triathlete Rachel O’Donoghue will make her European debut today when she lines up at the 2026 Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Moletai in Lithuania.
The 16-year-old is one of the youngest athletes in the 28-strong women’s field and will compete over the super sprint distance against Under-19 rivals.
The race is the first of two European outings intended to expose O’Donoghue to stronger competition ahead of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games.
“I am very excited to race here in Europe,” O’Donoghue told Zimpapers Sports Hub from Moletai.
“I am quite nervous because there are a lot of girls here I have never raced and the field is so big.
“But I am excited to get some experience racing with stronger girls. We will see how the race goes.”
The field includes athletes from Latvia, Slovenia, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine, Poland, Switzerland, Malta and Finland.
O’Donoghue is ranked second for today’s race, although her father, Triathlon Zimbabwe president Ross O’Donoghue, believes the ranking offers little indication of what to expect against unfamiliar opposition.
“She has quite a high ranking for the start of the race, but that doesn’t really mean anything because she has never raced against any of these athletes,” he said.
“She is one of the youngest in the field at 16 and is racing Under-19s, so it is a little intimidating.
“There are no huge expectations. We want to keep as much pressure off her as possible.”
The women’s event will be decided in a straight final after organisers dropped the proposed semi-final format.
National coach Pamela Fulton believes the 28-athlete mass start will provide valuable experience for O’Donoghue.
“There is now only a final for Rachel’s event in Lithuania. No semi-final, just the final,” Fulton said.
“Obviously, there were not enough ladies entered to warrant heats. Twenty-eight ladies in the final is better practice for Rachel in the mass start.”
O’Donoghue is Zimbabwe’s sole triathlon representative at the Youth Olympic Games, scheduled for October 31 to November 13 in Senegal.
Ross said racing some of Europe’s leading juniors would give her a clearer picture of the level she will face in Dakar.
“This is a learning curve. It is about understanding what European racing is like,” he said.
“A lot of these girls are going to be very fast. Some of them will be going to the Youth Olympic Games, so this is great preparation for Rachel.”
After today’s race, O’Donoghue will travel to Latvia for her second European event on August 29.
