Namibia’s para-athletes Jerome Rooi and Mateus Angula both gave impressive performances at the World Triathlon Para Cup in Besancon, France, over the weekend.
Rooi led the way with a bronze medal in the para-triathlon standing category, while Angula finished seventh in the men’s para-triathlon wheelchair category.
Jules Ribstein of France dominated the para-triathlon standing race to win the gold medal in a time of 1:16:06, finishing more than 10 minutes ahead of compatriot Michael Herter (1:26:14), while Rooi came third in 1:32:37.
Ribstein streaked ahead from the start, completing the 750m swimming leg in 11:04, while Rooi was second out of the water in 14:00, just ahead of Herter (14:04).
Ribstein increased his lead on the 20km cycling leg, but Herter overtook Rooi to go second, while he also set a faster time on the 5km running leg to finish well ahead of Rooi.
In the para-triathlon wheelchair race, Joseph Fritsch of France won the gold medal in 1:10:31, after completing the swimming leg in 11:04, the cycling leg in 40:57, and the running leg in 21:57.
Giuseppe Romele of Italy came second, just seven seconds behind Fritsch, while Julien Viot of France came third in 1:15:43.
Angula came seventh in a total time of 1:32:37, after competing the swimming leg in 14 minutes, the cycling leg in 45:53 and the running leg in 30:15.
Namibian Paralympic coordinator JP Schmidt, who is accompanying the athletes as an assistant coach, is ecstatic with their performances.
“Jerome’s performance was excellent. He is only 23 years old and triathletes normally peak closer to 30, while he is also not nearly as experienced as the top guys who have competed in about 60 international races.
“Jerome has only completed about 10. This is literally only his second international tour, and I think his performances have surprised a lot of people in the international para-triathlon community,” he says.
Regarding Angula’s performance, Schmidt says he surprised a lot of people.
“He knocked everyone out of the park with his performance – nobody expected him even to finish the race because this is one of the toughest races in the whole triathlon series,” he says.
“What makes his performance so special is the fact that he has only been competing for about 18 months so far and he has to transition from a para-swimmer to a para-triathlete,” he says.
The athletes will continue to compete in Europe, with their next race due to take place in Hamburg on 14 July.
Their trip was sponsored by the Namibia Sports Commission through its podium performance programme with the ultimate aim being to qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, and Schmidt says preparations are well on track.
“There are 120 slots available for the Paralympic Games in triathlon, so they allocate a maximum of 10 slots per class. Jerome is currently ranked eighth in his class, which puts him in an excellent position to qualify, but there are a lot of competitions running all over the world so it’s important that they compete in as many races as possible,” he says.
“Mateus is ranked 24th in his class, but he is still young, and if he can compete in more events to pick up more points, I’m confident of his chances to make it to LA,” he says.
Schmidt and the athletes have, meanwhile, moved to Potsdam in Germany where they will train at a high performance centre for the next few weeks.
“Our training has been funded by the sport commission through the podium performance programme, and it has really worked wonders for us. The German para-triathlon federation has also assisted us with accommodation and free training at their venue in Potsdam,” he says.
Schmidt says the athletes are now starting to reap the rewards of their fine performances.
“Both of them have gained so much international recognition, not just from World Triathlon, but from the international community.
“More international sponsorships are now coming their way, and Jerome has been receiving a lot of assistance on his tours, which makes it possible for us to tour,” he says.
“Mateus has received a top-class bike from the United States which will aid his efforts to compete internationally a lot,” he says.
