All roads lead to Rubavu today as the Western Province’s district hosts the prestigious 3rd African Triathlon Cup. It is the second time in a row Rwanda is hosting the competition.

The one-day showpiece will be athletes competing in swimming, cycling and running on one chrono time – on a combined distance of 25.75 kilometres.

Participants will begin with a 750m swim in Lake Kivu, followed by 20km of cycling before wrapping the gruesome competition with a 5km run in Rubavu town.

Rwanda, the host country, will field a total of 16 athletes. Other countries to be represented include; Burundi, South Africa, Kenya, Japan, Egypt, Morocco, Poland and Turkey.

"We want our athletes win medals, bragging about spectacular hosting is not enough,” said Alex Mbaraga, president of the Rwanda Triathlon Federation.

The winners, in both men and women’s categories, will pocket $500 (about Rwf 450,000) each and qualification to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Among other partners, the event is supported by Coca Cola, Rwanda Development Board and the Ministry of Sports and Culture.

Last year, Namibian Burger Nam claimed the top prize in men’s category while South Africa’s Greer Huub struck gold in women’s section.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com