A growth worth noticing: the women’s triathlon
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The women's sector continues to gain space in different sports activities organized around the world
If the triathlon in the female sector ends up consolidating, it will undoubtedly be thanks in large part to Theresa Roden. This American was credited with the Distinction to Excellence of the Women's Committee 2018, and was the creator of the I-Tri program: Transformation through Triathlon in 2010. Two signs that the current state of this discipline is thanks to her.
Leer en español: Un crecimiento que vale la pena mirar: el triatlón de mujeres
According to Triathlon, Roden was inspired by his own experience of transformation in the first time she participated in this type of competition when she was 30 years old. Therefore, the North American athlete wanted to share the confidence and strength she received from other athletes in the region, mainly those who had difficult social or emotional environments.
Read also: Women's sport keeps growing!
Awards and distinctions
The Women's Committee of the International Triathlon United (ITU) opened the nomination process for the Distinction to Excellence of the Women's Committee 2019, won by Roden in 2018, requesting all the Federations to send their corresponding proposals. The award aims to raise awareness about gender issues and role models for female athletes.
Last May 29 was the deadline for the reception of nominations. The announcements and presentations will take place at the ITU Congress in Lausanne next August. Last year, the program was held in six Long Island schools and involved 130 participants, as Triathlon recalls.
"I want to thank the National Federations for their constant commitment to the development of women in our sport, and for creating environments that promote equity and in which they can shine," said the president of the Women's Commission, Tomoko Awada, who then added: "Every year we wait for the moment in which we receive nominations and learn more about incredible individuals who work tirelessly behind the scenes so that the sport of triathlon continues to advance."
I-Tri and women's triathlons
It's a reality: women's triathlon has been growing in popularity. One of the keys to such an achievement has been the breadth of participation, including the elderly. Roden is fully aware of the importance of this initiative, as his first Triathlon was with a mature age, as mentioned above.
The Trimexico site recalled that Roden decided to create I-Tri, a triathlon club in the United States aimed at girls. The most recent edition of this competition was held on Saturday, June 1, in Herzliya, Israel. It has also grown, since it went for having 50 participants to more than a thousand competitors, of which many cases are participating mothers and daughters.
The event has managed to transform the lives of thousands of women in some way. "For many of the participants, this was their first real sporting event, the first time they challenged themselves. Eventually, there was a complete change in their lifestyles, and it was thanks to sport. It is very profound to see the participants start as young people, then return as mothers, with their own families," said Roden.
Another example of this type of competition is the Tri-Gether Women's Triathlon, which was held last year in Donegal, Ireland, and which was launched by the Letterkenny Triathlon Club 247. Around 100 women participated in that triathlon and many of them for the first time.
The Serbian Union of Triathlon, in turn, designed a program for female participation thanks to coaches Ljudmilla Medan and Aleksander Gavrilovic. It was named 'Talented Tri Girls' and aims to unite female athletes between 13 and 19 years of age. By 2018, in that Balkan country, the number of women participating in this sport doubled.
The USAT authorizes about 100 triathlons for women each year and a good example of this is the 'Triatlón Mighty Mujer' in El Paso, which dates back to 2012 and raises money for the local Family Violence Center, with an average participation of 350 athletes.
This event has expanded to Austin (to be held on June 9), Tucson (October 5) and Miami in May 2020. Finally, Trimexico said that Philadelphia will also have its own Women's Triathlon for the second consecutive summer, after the participation of 1 350 women in its first edition in 2018.
Little Steps in Latin America
In Latin America, we are just beginning to have samples of growth in women's triathlon, although not individually. In Havana, Cuba, a mixed genre contest has been held for some years, as described by Prensa Latina.
In the most recent edition, among the women, the triumph was for the native Isabel Cuéllar with a time of 5: 10.34, followed by Mexicans Edna González and Rosalba Nava with times of 5: 21.06 and 5: 31.31, respectively.
In turn, the elite category had the notable performances of the Colombian Lina Maria Raga and the Antillean Leslie Amat, first and second respectively, after a demanding route of 1.5 km of swimming, plus 40 km of cycling and 10 km of running to Raga. The event served as preparation for the Pan American Games in Lima to be held in July.
For the Colombian athlete, the triathlon level in Latin America is very strong and demanding, and has nothing to envy North America or Europe, as there are very powerful competitors, especially in Mexico and Brazil, concluded Prensa Latina.
LatinAmerican Post | Onofre Zambrano
Translated from "Un crecimiento que vale la pena mirar: el triatlón de mujeres"
