The last Zimbabwe Triathlon Association selection meet of 2015 took place Sunday (22 November) at Mt Pleasant Pool with perfect racing conditions of cool, overcast skies, and the rain holding off until after the last race concluded.
There were several stand out performances worth mentioning among high school student participants. Newcomer to the triathlon scene, Sarah Hawgood is quickly picking up speed on the cycling part of her race, to match her prowess in long distance swimming and road running legs. Hawgood, a former Arundel pupil, finished with a personal best time of 1:17.54 to win the girls 18-19 age group three and a half minutes ahead of Helen Mitchell is second place (1:21.23) and Savannah Bekker in third.
Perhaps the notable absence today of Zimbabwean Youth Olympian Drew Williams gave the senior high school boys confidence. Rupert Anchuetz of Peterhouse College finished first in a commendable time of 1:06.01, three and a half minutes before second place finisher Mitchell Kaye in the boys 18-19 age event. The Half Triathlon consists of a 33 width pool swim followed by a 20km cycle and finishing with a 5.0km run.
Peterhouse Girls student Andie Kuipers again won the Quarter 14-15 girls category, this time in 41.36, making her series points a clean sweep of four wins out of four events this term.
Although Sunday’s triathlon was the last selection event of the new triathlon season, one last open fun event, that will not be timed or count for series or selection points, will be held at the same venue on Sunday, 29 November. Students interested in trying out triathlon can take part as individuals or form relay teams with friends, with each choosing to do the swim, cycle or run leg of the event. The next Zimbabwe Triathlon selection event will take place on 17 January 2016.