Team Herald
sports@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: A record 430 triathletes from India and across the world have registered for the forthcoming, 5th Goa Triathlon which will be held at Bambolim, on Sunday.
Addressing media, Elias Patel, co-founder, Enduro Sports Goa, organisers of the Goa Triathlon said that the triathletes hailed from countries as diverse as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, Sri Lanka, Singapore, UK and USA besides India. The mega city of Mumbai alone had contributed 30% of all participants.
Registrations for the 5th Goa Triathlon are open till Jan 29, on www.endurosportsgoa.com
Out of the 430 triathletes, 34 are from Goa while 35 foreign nationals have also confirmed their participation.
Swiss triathlete Lucia Erat will be the brand ambassador for this edition. Lucia is also the defending champion in the women’s category of the Goa Triathlon 2017. Lucia said, “It is a great honour to be brand ambassador for Triathlon Goa, because it gives me the opportunity to support and hopefully inspire my fellow athletes. My main motivation is to share my passion with other female athletes and demonstrate that this is a sport optimally suited for women and we can become just as successful as many male athletes.”
A triathlon is a multiple-stage competition involving the completion of three continuous endurance disciplines namely swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. According to Patel, the Goa Triathlon is the only Triathlon in India which closes its roads to vehicular traffic thus offering an exclusive zone to cyclists and runners. “We are the first Indian Triathlon to introduce a sea swim. All other Triathlons either swim in a pool or an enclosed water body. Inspite of this our safety record is one hundred per cent,” Patel said.This year, the Goa Triathlon offers athletes the choice of three categories; the Super Sprint Triathlon, The Olympic Triathlon and for the first time, the Sprint Duathlon. The Olympic event begins with a 1.5 km swim in the Bambolim Bay, immediately followed by 40kms of cycling around the Goa University road circuit, which also doubles up as the course for the 10 kms run which concludes the race. Road will be closed for vehicular traffic during the event.
The winners of the race will go on to participate in the ironman competition which is held abroad.
