ZIMBABWE Elite triathlete Andie Kuipers vies for Olympic Qualification points in her first triathlon race of the season, and the 2023 Americas Triathlon Cup Sarasota set for Florida, USA, on Saturday.
Kuipers will be up against 37 other Elite Women drawn from different countries. The countries represented include Kazakhstan, Japan, Mexico, Columbia, Czech Republic, South Africa, USA, with a record 19 confirmed participants, Canada (seven) and Zimbabwe.
It is a Continental Cup, just like triathlon Zimbabwe’s own Bonaqua Africa triathlon Cup Troutbeck. It carries 250 Olympics qualification points. Athletes must finish within eight per cent of the winner’s time to collect their share of the points on offer. A World triathlon Cup has 500 Olympics points, while he World triathlon Series carries 1 000 points.
“I’m excited to start my first elite race of this year here in Florida, USA. This is a continental cup race where I have the opportunity to get some points toward my Olympic ranking,” Kuipers told EnterSportNews.
“Training has been going really well, so I am looking forward to having a good season opener.
While focused on qualifying for the 2024 Paris and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, she admits she is less fit than she would want to be, given that she is coming from the off-season.
“It’s still early in the season, and so I know I am not at peak fitness yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing how the past few months of training have paid off,” she said.
Triathlon Zimbabwe hosts the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup Troutbeck on 1st April. Kuipers, currently attending Wingate University in the US, will not be available for the games at Troutbeck.
