CAPE TOWN - After missing out on last year’s event because of injury, Cape Town’s multisport superstar Richard Murray is more motivated than ever to win the 2017 Discovery Triathlon World Cup race in the Mother City on Saturday.
Murray, pictured, crashed in the bike leg of the ITU World Series in the Gold Coast, Australia, a few weeks before the 2016 race in Cape Town, breaking two bones in his hand and fracturing his clavicle.
He was ruled out of competition for the best part of two months, and as he stood on the sidelines in Cape Town watching Fernando Alarza of Spain take his first win on the world circuit, he would have mused over what could have been.
“The event in Cape Town is both a stepping stone as well as a home race for me,” said the 28-year-old Murray, who is from Durbanville.
“I love to race at home and have been wanting to win on home ground since the event was started four years ago. And the great thing is that it is awesome to see the growth of multisport in South Africa.
“To see so many people taking part in the triathlon on Saturday next weekend and the duathlon on the Sunday will be special. Having Cape Town as the first race of the international triathlon season is awesome.”
Murray is regarded as one of the tough men of the international triathlon circuit and two months to the day after last year’s crash, he won his first world title at the World Duathlon Championships.
Murray also has two Commonwealth Games medals to his name - bronze in the men’s individual and silver in the mixed team categories at the 2014 Games in Glasgow. Last year he had planned his training blocs with two events in mind.
The first was the Cape Town triathlon; the second the Olympics. He finished fourth in Rio, just behind fellow South African Henri Schoeman, who took bronze.
Before his crash Murray had been touted as the medal favourite for Team South Africa and is looking forward to racing his countryman on the scenic and iconic course around the V&A Waterfront and the Green Point precinct.
“It is great that Henri will be racing, as well as Vincent Luis. They are always tough competition.
“I haven’t had a look at the final starting list yet, but it will be a fast swim, I can tell you that. I am familiar with the route and like the twisty and dynamic approach of having a track in the course. It is going to be fun and fast.”
France’s Luis has performed well in Cape Town. He finished eighth in 2014 and third in 2015, while Murray has a fifth (2014) and a fourth (2015) place to his name.
In preparation for Cape Town, Murray has been in Namibia at an intense training camp ahead of a season that will see him branch out into other multisport disciplines.
“The camp has been great over the past two weeks with the Dutch national triathlon team here in Windhoek,” said Murray.
“I’ve put in plenty miles of swimming, running and biking. I am happy that my form is starting to show. This season will be different. I will do my first 70.3 race and will try some Xterra events again. As well as my ITU races.”
The Discovery Triathlon World Cup forms part of the Discovery Get Active Weekend, which includes the Discovery Triathlon World Cup on Saturday and the Discovery Duathlon on Sunday.
Online entries will close at midnight on Sunday, although there will be late registrations taken at the Clocktower at the V&A Waterfront on Thursday and Friday from noon until 7pm. Entrants can choose to take part as a team of two or three in either the triathlon or duathlon, or compete as a solo athlete.