About 30 elites from across the world are participating in the 2022 Africa Triathlon cup taking place at Swakopmund on Saturday.

The triathlon consists of a 750-metre swim in the Atlantic Ocean, a 20-kilometre lap bike ride along the promenade and a 5-kilometre lap run through the town, with 19 men and 11 women from eight different countries including the host Namibia, taking part in the event.

Secretary-General for the Namibia Triathlon Federation Adele de La Rey told Nampa that hosting this year’s Africa Triathlon cup means that Namibia is doing well and that the federation’s work is being recognised and is paying off.

“Triathlon has grown extremely well in the past couple of years and we are very excited to host all these elites, some from countries we never even expected to host. We just hope that this also inspires and attracts the young ones to the sports,” she said.

The competition according to de La Rey is also a platform for athletes to prepare and for the federation to select representatives for the Commonwealth Games later this year.

The competition has also attracted renowned athletes such as Tim Hellwig and Annika Koch from Germany, Tania Stroschneider from Austria and Namibia’s Ann Krugel and Imke Jagau.

Silke de Wolde, 20, from the Netherlands who started competing in the triathlons when she was 13 revealed that it was her first time competing in Namibia and that all her international events were mainly just in Europe.

“If the weather is warmer when we compete, then it might affect my performance because I am used to the cooler and colder conditions back home,” she said.

Dylan Nortje, 25, from South Africa is a full-time triathlon athlete who has been a professional for about four years now and has participated in about 50 international events before.

“I raced in Namibia a few years ago and the weather was scorching hot, which is exactly what I like and am used to, so I am hoping the weather is warmer when we get to compete,” Nortje said.

Source: The Namibian Press Agency