15th Massy Rainbow Cup at Turtle Beach today

SPORTING administrators Michael Phillips and Paul Hee Houng were keenly anticipating another Massy Rainbow Cup event yesterday evening. The pair commended the organisers for continuing to persevere in putting on the event which is celebrating 15 years.

A handful of junior and senior athletes were getting familiar with the course yesterday, while organiser Jason Gooding and his team were making their final preparations.

The 15th Massy Rainbow Cup will take place at Turtle Beach in Tobago, from 7 am, today. A new men’s and women’s Olympic distance champion will be crowned as Barbadian Jason Wilson retired from the sport and Venezuelan Genesis Ruiz could not get a flight to TT.

Athletes looking for the toughest challenge of the event will compete in the Olympic distance that will see athletes complete a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike and a 10K run. TT athletes Christiane Farah and Jenna Ross, along with Canadian Nina Sieh will be some of the women competing. Vying for the men’s title will be Jason Costelloe of TT, Jamaican Phillip McCatty and Frenchman Clement Briere.

In the popular sprint triathlon, athletes will attempt a 750m, 20K swim and a 5K run.

The distance will feature a number of TT junior athletes such as Troy Llanos, Liam Trepte, Jean-Marc Granderson, Kareem Mason Jnr, Rachel Grosberg, Kirsten St Omer, Kristin Scott and Amy Pounder.

Participants will also aim for titles in the kids distance triathlon which will include the youth 7-9, youth 10-12 and youth 13-15 categories. A 5K run/walk will also be a part of the day’s activities.

Phillips, a former national cyclist and current cycling event promoter, said, “You can’t afford to lose events like this. For Jason and his family it would be particularly challenging this year because this is the first year his father (Ian) is not around, he lost his dad last year. I think for him it would be at the back of his mind every moment when he looks around to call out to Dad to do something. It is an amazing story of perseverance to be able to get events like this to this stage.”

Hee Houng, president of the TT Triathlon Federation said Gooding and his team continue to push the sport of triathlon. “This has always been a highlight for many people especially the older folks. With Carifta coming up the youths and the juniors have another event to aim for which is in Jamaica this year in the middle of August. This race brings everybody from across the region as well…I think it is a great event.”