Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
RISING triathlon star Rachel O’Donoghue continues to shine on the continental stage.
This time, she emerged top at the Africa Triathlon Junior Cup in Mossel Bay, South Africa over the weekend.
The event doubled as the South Africa Junior Championships, and Zimbabwe had six athletes participating in the Junior Cup.
O’Donoghue delivered another outstanding performance on her way to a gold medal at the Cup event that attracted 19 junior women as she crossed the finish line in 1 hour 6 minutes 14 seconds.
It was a close contest with South Africa’s Taylor Foster, who came second in 1 hour 6 minutes 21 seconds.
Namibia’s Maja Jeanne Brinkmann crossed the finish line in 1 hour 8 minutes 6 seconds to complete the top three.
O’Donoghue, two weeks ago stepped into the elite women category for the first time at the Troutbeck event, in Nyanga and walked away with a bronze medal.
National coach Pamela Fulton was pleased with the outcome.
“The ladies’ race was incredibly exciting with Rachel managing to stay with Taylor Foster and Brinkmann for most of the swim.
“This is a first,” said Fulton.
“Rachel lost a bit of time in T1 (transition) and had to work hard on the bike to catch the other two again.
“All three came into T2 together and Rachel and Taylor were first out and immediately had a gap on Mia.
“Rachel and Taylor ran stride for stride, each trying to surge to break the other. Finally, with 600m to go, Rachel managed to get a gap on Taylor to take the win.
“Such a turning point for Rachel after the last couple of seasons racing in Taylor’s shadow.”
In the Junior Men, the best performance was from Callum Smith, who came seventh in 1 hour 2 minutes 29 seconds while Zander Botha placed eighth in 1 hour 3 minutes.
Matthew Hildebrand finished 23rd with a time of 1 hour 11 minutes 57 seconds. Zizael Manyati placed 29 in 1 hour 20 minutes 45 seconds and Taanashe Makosa was ranked 32 in 1 hour 33 minutes 39 seconds.
It was a South African affair in the top three with Antony Clayton winning the race in 58 minutes 06 seconds.
He was followed by Nicholas Horne with a time of 58 minutes 55 seconds, and Ryan Viviers was third in 59 minutes 24 seconds.
“The Cup event doubled as the SA champs but our athletes were only eligible for the Cup event and there-fore only acknowledged in the overall Under-19 category.
“This understandably was quite daunting for our young 15-year-olds who turn 16 this year, but each athlete coped well with the situation,” said Fulton.
“Callum has been plagued by a hip injury for the last couple of months, so I was pleased for him that he could finally run pain-free.
“Zander has had another incredible season with many key races. Now being end of season, it was evident that he was tired but still produced a fantastic race to finish just behind Callum in eighth.
“It was special watching all our athletes compete, each one facing their own personal challenges.
“Zizael competed in his first triathlon out of Zimbabwe as well as his first sea swim ever. He coped exceptionally well taking each new adventure in his stride and enjoying every moment.
“Next season he will return even stronger having so much more experience behind him,” Fulton said.
With the 2025-2026 programme done, most of the athletes look forward to the break before they begin preparing for the next season.
