adminBruce Chikuni
IT is now confirmed that Simbisa Brands have joined the boat as a sponsor of this year’s Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup Troutbeck.
Triathlon is one of the best-run sports in Zimbabwe and every year they put up a flagship event in Nyanga which is world-class.
Some of their athletes, like Andie Kuipers, have been competing in prestigious events like the Americas Triathlon Cup.
Coca Cola, Schweppes, Cimas i-Go, CFAO Motor Group, Ecocash and Rooneys are some of the confirmed partners.
The event is set for April 1 at Troutbeck Resort in Nyanga.
The Local Organising Committee (LOC) are now in the final countdown to the event.
“We are very excited to have yet another blue-chip brand come on board for this event, now in its 15th consecutive year,” said event director, Rick Fulton.
“We welcome Simbisa Brands on board and hope that this will be the start of a long relationship with the sport and the event.
“As with our entire Sponsor Group we value their loyalty and commitment to this event and we sincerely hope that they benefit exponentially from the branding, marketing and media exposure.”
The LOC are preparing for the arrival of various athletes at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport for the showcase.
This exercise entails detailed planning for the Triathlon Zimbabwe “Meet-n-Greet” team, coordinating the incoming international and regional athletes that will compete in the Elite Men and Women’s categories and also the Junior Elite categories forJunior Men and Women.
The 2023 edition also sees the return of two-time Troutbeck Elite Men’s gold medallist Ayan Beisenbayev, from Kazakhstan, who will be hoping for a hat-trick of victories this year.
Returning athletes include Dylan Nortje and Shaun Wolfaardt from South Africa.
Wolfaardt won the 2022 Troutbeck Africa Triathlon Junior Cup and has now moved up to Under 23 level.
Also returning is Badr Siwane from Morocco, Martin Demuth from Austria, Michal Oliwa from Poland, Meirlan Iskakov from Kazakhstan and Laurent L’Entete from Mauritius.
The elite women category will have Shanae Williams, who was the runner-up last year, Bridget Theunissen and Jamie-Sue Vermaas, all from South Africa.
Athletes are expected from Togo, Mauritius and Mozambique.
For the Africa Triathlon Junior Cup Troutbeck, 13 athletes have been registered.
Still to be added to are the Zimbabwean contingent of Anje Van As, Makanaka and Matipa Mawere, George Ascott, Nicole Madya, Duwan Botha and the Mthethwa twins, Mandlenkosi and Musawenkosi.
Online Reporter