Ellina Mhlanga — Young triathletes Rohnan Nicholson and Callum Smith are looking forward to the exposure and experience when they take part in the African Games next month in Accra, Ghana.
The Games are scheduled for March 8 to 23.
Smith and Nicholson are part of Team Zimbabwe and will compete against elite men from different countries at the continental show-piece.
Andie Kuipers and Lorna Doorman are the country's representatives in the women's section.
Triathlon Zimbabwe president Ross O'Donoghue announced the triathlon team at the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Cup function on Saturday.
Fifteen-year-old Nicholson said it's going to be a learning curve competing with some of the continent's elite athletes.
"It's going to be a hard race. But I think it's great for experience. So I am going to give it my best and see what we get out of it.
"I think it's going to give me exposure. The elites are high up there in how they race and the skills, the technique, so I am just going to learn from this event.
"I don't have any expectations because it's going to be a hard race because there is going to be old people and we are only 15," said Nicholson.
Kuipers is the most experienced as she is already competing at the elite level while the trio of Nicholson, Smith, and Doorman will be competing at the level for the first time.
Nicholson, together with Smith participated in the Africa Junior Cup, which was held alongside the Africa Cup over the weekend at the Troutbeck Resort in Nyanga. Smith, who is also 15 years old, is looking forward to the Games.
"I feel very excited for this race coming up. I am going against the top people in Africa. So I am looking forward to it and I am so excited that I got picked for this opportunity, to go and represent the country in Ghana.
"I am very nervous about this because, I mean everybody there is going to be at least in their 20s. So I am very nervous as most countries or all countries are going to be sending their two best male athletes and that's what Rohnan and myself have to go up against," said Smith.
For the pair, taking part in the Games will be more on the developmental side.
Team Zimbabwe chef de mission Eltah Nengomasha, giving an update on the country's participation and preparation for the Games recently, noted that there were several factors they considered in selecting sports codes for the Games.
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And one of them was development, in particular for sports codes they believe have the potential to progress beyond their current performance.
Triathlon Zimbabwe national coach Pamela Fulton said the Games will give the up-and-coming athletes an insight into what it takes to get to the elite level, which is vital for their progress.
"So for them (Smith and Nicholson) it's trying not to put the pressure on them and no expectations of them because they are racing against the elite. But for them to come out of that saying they have raced elites to sort of and when they do move into the elite field, get the understanding of what is required. "The training that is required to get so much better and they get to naturally carry on, developing and growing and get stronger naturally as they turn into Under-19 year-olds, well turn 19 and then into Under-23," said Fulton.
At the 2019 Games, in Morocco, triathlon contributed two medals -- one silver and one bronze for Team Zimbabwe.
