Top Zimbabwe female triathlete Andie Kuipers will be hoping to earn valuable Olympic qualification ranking points when she competes at the Africa Triathlon Cup Kilifi in Kenya on Saturday.
Twenty-year-old Kuipers, who recently recovered from injury, is one of the 14 triathletes from 10 countries who will compete in the women’s elite category of the race which will be held in Kilifi which is located in the coastal part of Kenya, about 52km north of Mombasa.
The quiet town of Kilifi borders the Indian Ocean with the Bofa Road for cycling and running covered with beautiful canopies of the Mkilifi trees.
This is the first time Kenya will be hosting the African Cup and the Kenya Triathlon Federation is using strategically to assist more Kenyan athletes to get exposure to international standards competition.
Kuipers was one of the 10 athletes named by the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) as recipients of International Olympic Committee Olympic Solidarity scholarships for the Paris 2024 cycle back in May.
The Olympic Solidarity scholarships are part of ZOC 2021-2024 strategic goal number one, athlete development and support, focusing on ensuring well supported and adequately prepared athletes who will perform optimally at world level competitions, particularly the Olympic Games.
The US-based triathlete has so far competed in events in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco in an effort to earn points which will help improve her world rankings that will count in her qualification pathway to Paris 2024 Olympic Games.