Cape Town – Ten local triathletes are among the top contenders to be crowned the Discovery Triathlon World Cup Cape Town champion.
The event will take place on February 10 and officially opens this year’s International Triathlon Union (ITU) global race calendar.
The event is the only ITU race on African soil and forms part of the Discovery Get Active weekend.
It sees world-class triathletes competing for world ranking and Olympic qualification points, as well as multisport enthusiasts and novices enjoying a day of swimming, cycling and running along the picturesque Atlantic Seaboard and iconic city landmarks.
Event director Gary Marescia said: “The event has attracted a record elite entry field, with many more of the world’s top triathletes on the waiting list, hoping to secure a last-minute spot at the start on February 10. This is an important event for triathletes hoping to qualify for the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo.”
South African Richard Murray will be back to defend his title and is set to go head-to-head with countryman Henri Schoeman, who came second last year.
Schoeman became the first South African to win an Olympic medal for triathlon by taking bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and he clinched a gold in last year’s Commonwealth Games.
They are joined in the men’s division by Wian Sullwald, who came second in the 2018 Dakar ATU Sprint Triathlon African Cup in December.
Gillian Sanders, who took second place in last year’s event, leads the South African women’s pack. She was part of the South African 2018 Commonwealth Games team, and took first place at the 2018 Agadir ATU Triathlon African Cup in November.
Sanders is joined by Jodie Berry, Shanae Williams, Amper Schlebusch, Simone Ackermann and Anel Radford.
Mayor Dan Plato said: “The City of Cape Town is proud to support and host an event of an international stature like the Discovery Triathlon World Cup. It is one of many exciting sporting spectacles on Cape Town’s events calendar.”
The race will start at the V&A Waterfront, with the swim leg of the triathlon beginning in Quay 6, before the route takes the athletes past the Green Point precinct and along the scenic Sea Point promenade before finishing on the Cape Town Stadium Forecourt.
Entries close on January 31. For more information, visit www.triathlon.capetown