Youth triathletes up for SA Champs

WITH most of the local events done, Triathlon Zimbabwe this weekend shift focus to the South Africa Youth Championships in Benoni.
Zimbabwe, who leave for the neighbouring country on Friday, are fielding eight athletes.

The team is made up of three Under-13 and five Under-15 athletes, who accumulated enough points to qualify for the tour during the local selection races.

They will be led by national coach, Pamela Fulton.

“I have got eight athletes that will be travelling with me there.

“They are in really good form. It will be really interesting to see how our youth do. Because we have got three or four of them that haven’t been on tour before; they are in the Under-13 category.

“So, it’s their first time travelling, so really exciting for them,” said Fulton.
Going into the South Africa Championships, the athletes will be hoping to build on the enormous work they have put in during the qualification process.

Amongst those travelling is the Goddard twin brothers — John and Sebastian — who will be competing at the championships for the second time.

John said he knows what to expect.

“I think my expectations are probably to podium or mostly just to get a medal and to qualify for the Africa Champs in October, I think.

“I have done quite a few sessions, lots of riding, lots of running and I am in a club for swimming, so I think I have trained well and I am prepared.

“I think last year I saw the competition. It prepared me a lot for this year because I know at what level I have to train and how hard I have to train to be able to beat the competition,” John said.

His twin brother, Sebastian is also hopeful of the event.

“I feel quite good. I have done quite a bit of training and all the effort is going to be for my tour.
“I am going to try and aim for top 10 in the race.

“I think this season has been really good. It’s been better than last season. I have done a lot more training,” Sebastian said.

The youth team will be joined by Zander Botha, who is going to compete in the Africa Triathlon Cup, that will run concurrently with the youth event.

Fulton is upbeat, Botha will do well.

“He has been doing really well in the Junior Cup events.

“In the juniors there is an Africa Series, where the athletes from Africa with the top points from their best four events at Cup events, they end up getting prize money at the end of the season.

“So, I think Zander is obviously gearing towards that.

“Obviously, we wait to see whether Zimbabwe gets a slot for the Youth Olympic Games. And if we do, Zander is one boy that is eligible for the Youth Olympic Games.

“He is really focusing on his preparation for that,” Fulton said.

Botha represented Zimbabwe in the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) eligibility races in Kenya and Egypt.

The Games are scheduled for October 31 to November 13 in Senegal.
After the South Africa tour, most of them will be heading to Nyanga for the Troutbeck event, featuring the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup and Multi-Sport Festival, and Triathlon Zimbabwe National Championships.

Team
Under-13 Girls: Hannah Hosack.
Under-13 Boys: Bryce Cameron, Shinga Mushamba.
Under-15 Girls: Alexis Beamish.
Under-15 Boys: John Goddard, Sebastian Goddard, Alvin Mufute, Daniel Hildebrand.