Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
YOUTH Olympic Games-bound Rachel O’Donoghue is scheduled to leave for Lithuania tomorrow, where she will take part in the 2026 Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Moletai as part of her preparations for the upcoming Games.
The Zimbabwean teen tri-athlete will be using the European tour to step up her build-up to the YOG event, with a couple of races arranged for the next two weekends.
She will participate in the 2026 Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Moletai on Saturday, with 47 entries in the junior men’s category and 28 in the women’s section.
This comes after she missed the 2026 World Triathlon Development Regional Cup in Kilifi Kenya, after she fell sick.
O’Donoghue had travelled with coach Pamela Fulton, who confirmed the young triathlete is back in training ahead of her departure tomorrow.
“Rachel has recovered well and is back training in preparation for her tour in Europe,” said Fulton.
“Rachel departs on Wednesday to compete in the 2026 Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Moletai.
“This is a two-stage event over the super-sprint distance with a semi-final in the morning and a final in the after-noon.
“This will be a good warm-up race for her in preparation for the following weekend’s race in Jurmala, Latvia.
“She will compete against a field of 28 ladies in her first race, giving her experience racing in a large field against ladies she’s never raced against before,” said Fulton.
O’Donoghue will be up against some of Europe’s leading junior women from countries such as Latvia, Slovenia, Germany, Croatia, Ukraine, Poland, Switzerland, Malta and Finland.
Her next race in Latvia is scheduled for August 29, and she will compete over the sprint distance.
Fulton is confident the races will give her an insight into what to expect at the Youth Olympics.
“In Latvia, she competes over the sprint distance against a very strong field of over 40 ladies.
“Rachel has just turned 16 and will be racing ladies aged 16 to 19 years old.
“This experience will stand her in good stead for YOG26, knowing the level of competition she will be up against.”
While she could not take part in the Development Regional Cup event in Kenya, O’Donoghue was able to attend some sessions of the Africa Triathlon — World Triathlon YOG Development Camp held after the race.
The camp was organised for selected Africa YOG 2026 athletes and coaches as part of their preparation for the Games.
O’Donoghue will represent the country in triathlon at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games due to take place from October 31 to November 13.
“The focus was to brush up on technical skills and possibly teach new skills for some athletes. Also, to give advice on certain topics such as nutrition and warm-up procedures.
“Allow coaches to collaborate and bounce ideas off each other, and discuss areas of concern and solutions for Long Term Athlete Development post YOG.
“And build a strong rapport within ‘Team Africa’.”
“Building a strong bond between Africa’s triathletes and coaches was crucial and was strongly evident by camp end,” said Fulton.
“I attended all sessions prior to our early departure. Rachel was able to attend the lectures/discussions as well as watch a couple of training sessions, keeping out of the heat,” said Fulton.
Athletes and coaches from Algeria, Kenya, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Tunisia and Zimbabwe benefited from the camp.
