Kenya Triathlon Association picks seven triathletes for African Games

Abdallah Mansoor runs during this year's Mombasa Open International Triathlon Championships at the Nyali Beach Hotel on July 7, 2019. [GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD]

Seven Kenyan triathletes will line up in the newly introduced International Triathlon Union (ITU) Zone Five Championships at Lake Kivu, Rwanda, on Saturday.

They were named after Mombasa Open International Triathlon held Nyali Beach International Hotel in Mombasa yesterday.

Kenya Triathlon Association (KTA) secretary Harrison Mwangi said the team will compete in the African Games scheduled for Rabat, Morocco, on August 16-30.

“We opted to have the team compete in Rwanda to expose and sharpen their skills,” said Mwangi

Zone Five championships will be held on Saturday where six nations in Kenya, Egypt, Burundi, Cameroon, Uganda and Rwanda are in contention.

“ITU will use the event in their ranking and development of the sport,” said Mwangi, adding that  Kenya has placed a bid to host next year’s event.

Kenya’s top-ranked junior triathlete Jossete Njeri and reigning men champion Abdallah Mansoor are in the squad.

In yesterday’s showdown, France’s Martin Montbarbon and Stephanie Fernandez won men and women Mombasa triathlon events respectively.

Montbarbon clocked 1:13.26 seconds to win in men category while Fernandez timed 1:45.00 seconds. “It was a nice race and it was good to see many Kenyan athletes turning up for the event,” said Montbarton.

Fernanndez said it was her first visit to Kenya and the win was a surprise. “It was fun navigating the tough Indian Ocean waves,” said Fernandez.

Kenya’s Abdallah Mansoor clocked 1:25.34 for second spot while Robert Neijenhuis of The Netherlands came third in 1:36.41.  In Duathlon event, Kenya’s champion Mason Nyangau won in 1:36.46.

Athletics
Kenya hoping to defend World Cross Country title in Belgrade
Football
Fifa threatens Kenya with ban again
Unique Sports
SCHOOLS: Lenana School, Kisumu Girls and Agoro Sare turn focus on national games finals
Motorsport
Safari Rally: 29 drivers set for epic showdown as Safari Rally zooms off