Photo: Fiji triathletes (from left) Leena Pratt, Rupeni Seasea and Sini Adivuti will be looking for a podium finish today. 09092970
Triathletes will take to the Avatiu harbour at 8.30 this morning for the swim leg of the Pacific Mini Games multi-sport event.
The 11 male athletes will take to the water first followed three minutes later by 14 female athletes.
Team Cook Islands will have their hopes riding on seasoned triathlete Geoff Stoddart and young Thomas Henderson.
The local girls are also expected to pull their weight with Jennie George having the task of finishing well in order to put the Cook Islands on the podium for the teams event.
Fellow team mates Apii Napa and Rangi Apera are hoping to crack the three-hour mark for the Olympic distance race.
The pair have been inseparable since beginning their mini games training campaign and build up almost a year ago.
All the while the two girls have not dreamt of winning the gold medal – just representing the nation as best as they can.
Between, the two have almost shed 20kg and have discovered a new healthy lifestyle thanks to triathlon.
Both Apii and Rangi have been competing in local triathlons for the past two years and look forward to their first regional event today.
“We just want to better our personal best times,” says Apii.And Rangi agrees.
They know the competition is going to be tough but they say they will be putting all their training into practice today.
Also putting their training into effect today will be the trio of Leena Pratt, Rupeni Seasea and Sini Adivuti from Fiji, trained by Cook Islander Jennifer Liew (nee Henderson).
Liew is a swimming coach in Fiji. She inherited the team about two months ago and says now they are ready for today’s big event.
The team got a bit of a scare when they had their training session yesterday at Avatiu harbour just before the tsunami surges began.
“It freaked us out a bit, but we were on the run leg as it was all happening. Thank God we did the swim first,” says Liew.
She is hoping her team reaches the podium today.
“Anything can happen. They are capable of a podium finish.”
But the big movers and shakers on today’s Olympic distance course will be the athletes from New Caledonia and Tahiti.
The 1500m swim will start at 8.30am followed by the 40km cycle leg around the airport loop finished off with a 10km run.
Everyone is encouraged to come and support the triathletes today with drivers on the roads asked to be mindful as athletes will be running and cycling in and around the Avatiu harbour area. - Matariki Wilson: Cook Islands News
Last Modified on 03/10/2009 08:58