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Ellina Mhlanga Senior Sports Reporter
TRIATHLON coach Pamela Fulton is looking forward to some exciting competition when Team Zimbabwe takes to the course on Friday at the ongoing African Games in Ghana.
The triathlon team consisting of Andie Kuipers, Lorna Doorman, Rohnan Nicholson, and Callum Smith, arrived in Accra on Monday.
Speaking from Ghana, Fulton said the team was still trying to acclimatise to the hot weather conditions and remained hopeful of a good outing. “We arrived yesterday (Monday) midday in Ghana to find it exceptionally hot . . . So we are trying to get acclimatised as best as we can. Travelling through the night also, the team is a little bit tired.
“We tested all the bikes yesterday; everyone’s bike is good. Rohnan has developed a little bit of an ear infection, so we were at the medical tent last night trying to get it resolved. We have got to get back again today to find out what’s wrong with the ear.
“Hopefully (its) nothing serious,” said Fulton.
The triathlon competition is scheduled for Friday. Kuipers is making her second appearance at the Games having been to the 2019 Games in Morocco.
She won bronze at the 2019 edition and will be hoping to produce another podium performance. Kuipers, who is also pursuing qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games, is competing in the elite women together with Doorman.
Nicholson and Smith are expected to represent the country in the elite men.
For the upcoming triathletes, their participation is more on the development side.
“The women and the men, both race on Friday.
“The lady’s race starts at 10:30 and the elite men’s race starts at 12:30. So it’s going to be an incredibly hot time of the day for them. “Lorna is relatively new to the sport. She is used to competitive racing in swimming but not used to competitive racing in triathlon.
“She has got that mindset and she is older than the rest of the team. So I do not doubt that she will perform well.
“There is no pressure on her being a bit of the underdog, no one knows what she is like. But she is a really good swimmer and I do believe she will probably be out of the water near the front, if not the first lady out of the water. “Her bike is her weakness. It’s going to be interesting to see how she compares against the other ladies on the bike course. It’s a technical bike course and Andie is very good with technique on the bike, so she is used to racing from behind trying to catch those up in front.
“Andie will be good on this kind of course. It will be interesting to see how Lorna is, but she also has a phenomenal run as well so I do believe Lorna will have a really good race.
“She (Lorna) has got the foundations for a good triathlete with a solid swim and run and is excited for the future to see what her career in triathlon ends up with,” said Fulton.
Fulton is joined by coach Martin Mbofana in leading the team and they have had the chance to visit the competition venue.
“We went to the Borteyman Aquatic Centre yesterday as that’s where our race is.
“We did have a little look at the venue. We have a rough idea of what the bike course is going to be like and we weren’t able to practice because there is too much traffic at the moment, so we will get to ride on the actual course on Thursday. “Aquatic Centre is really beautiful, everyone was impressed with it. And I think they are all looking forward to being able to do a swim in the 50m pool to get to feel what the pool is like on Friday,” said Fulton.
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