Lack of females a worry for local team
Buffalo City squad keen to encourage women to join
THE number of female athletes remains an issue for Buffalo City triathlon as fewer females participate in these sporting events each year.
Only nine females, out of a total of 42 athletes, are participating in this year’s SA Triathlon Championships which will take place in Aldam near Bloemfontein on March 19.
Buffalo City triathlon office administrator, Sherry Wattrus, admitted the lack of female participants could be because the junior girls are a bit hesitant to join the sport.
Wattrus said last year the club hosted an event and invited some of the underprivileged schools in the hope of recruiting more female athletes.
“We held an event that helped us get a few more girls in our club last year. We are training and helping them if they need help in swimming, for instance, or even cycling, and we just help them with those skills.”
Wattrus added they try to make the criteria a bit more lenient for female athletes as they have but a few.
Among the nine female participants is elite athlete Cindy Schwulst, who ranked third in last year’s Triathlon African Championships.
Schwulst expressed her concern as well, suggesting more junior females needed to be recruited.
As time is looming nearer for the tournament Wattrus feels confident that preparations will run smoothly and teams’ needs will be well catered for.
“We have already sent out letters to athletes who made it and we are currently sorting out kit and accommodation,” she said.
This year the Buffalo City Triathlon junior team is comprised of 14 athletes – including six mini athletes aged between 14 and 15 years. The seniors are aged between 60 and 64 years.
Clinton Gravett, one of the Eastern Cape’s male elite athletes, currently ranks fifth since last year following Travis Johnston, a Pretoria Boys’ High graduate.
Gravett is, however, not participating in this year’s SA championship.
Another South African male elite triathlete, Henri Schoeman, is currently ranked number one in the African Triathlon circuit.
Last year Schoeman secured number one in every event while beating the British athlete, Jonathan Brownlee, with only 58 seconds separating his win over Brownlee in the World Triathlon grand final in Cozumel, Mexico.