Online Reporter
Ellina Mhlanga
Zimpapers Sports Hub
TRIATHLON Zimbabwe restarted its competitive calendar on Sunday with a selection race that carried consequences, not just medals, at Mount Pleasant Pool in Harare. After the holiday break, the federation moved straight into decision mode as youth and junior athletes lined up for the sixth and final qualifying race for next month’s Africa Triathlon Junior Championships in Egypt.
The venue was full by mid-morning, despite overcast skies and light rain, as racing returned across four formats. Triathlon, duathlon, aquathlon and aquabike events all ran on the same programme.
The focus, though, was firmly on the youth and junior selection races, with athletes chasing times rather than applause.
Sunday’s results will shape Zimbabwe’s junior squads for a demanding March that includes the Africa Junior Championships in Egypt, the South Africa Youth and Junior Championships and the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup. For several athletes, Mount Pleasant was the last chance to meet federation benchmarks set earlier in the season.
Regular podium contenders were back in the water and on the roads. Zander Botha, Matthew Hildebrand, Stanley Chasakara, Callum Smith, Rachel O’Donoghue and Olivia Beamish all featured in races that doubled as trials. Their presence underlined how tight the selection race has become after a strong first half of the season.
Botha set the standard in the Junior Men Under 17 and Under 19 sprint distance, stopping the clock at 1 hour 5 minutes 34 seconds. He beat Smith by more than a minute, with Smith finishing in 1 hour 6 minutes 58 seconds.
Hildebrand placed third in 1 hour 14 minutes 23 seconds, well off the leading pace on a course that rewarded consistency.
“It was a good race, and I really love competing here,” said Botha. “I felt good the whole way through, and it ended up being my personal best on this course. From the swim to the finish, it just came together.”
Botha said the Egypt trip is his main target, even though final selections are yet to be announced. “We don’t have the start list yet, but my goal is to go to Egypt and see how I stack up in my age group,” he said.
“I’m planning a busy March. Benoni for the South African Junior Championships, then Troutbeck, then Swakopmund for the Namibia Championships, and after that Port Elizabeth.”
In the junior women’s race, O’Donoghue and Olivia Beamish went head to head over the same sprint distance. Beamish crossed first in 1 hour 10 minutes 30 seconds, confirming her status as one of the most reliable performers in the age group. O’Donoghue followed in 1 hour 17 minutes 23 seconds on a course that became slower as conditions worsened.
The younger athletes were also tested. In the Under 13 and Under 15 categories, John Goddard and Alexis Beamish claimed wins in the boys’ and girls’ super sprint races, results that will feed into longer term development planning rather than immediate selection.
National coach Pamela Fulton said the turnout mattered as much as the times recorded.
“I was pleasantly surprised by the numbers we had, especially with the weather,” she said. “The cloud and the bit of rain did keep some of the younger kids away, but overall the support was strong.”
Fulton said Sunday’s races closed the qualification window for the junior sprint athletes targeting Egypt. “This was the last qualifying race for those athletes,” she said. “They had clear criteria to hit, and this was their final opportunity to make the required time in a race environment.”
With the qualifying phase now complete, Triathlon Zimbabwe moves into selection and logistics mode, with March expected to test both the depth of the junior squad and the federation’s ability to support multiple international trips in quick succession.
