NAMIBIAN dark horse Jean Paul Burger is targeting a place on the podium in Saturday's  Bonaqua Troutbeck Africa Triathlon Union African Cup in the elite men's race.

Burger said being a small elite field of seven men gives him an opportunity to finish in the top three.

The 20-year old Namibian singled out Jonas Schomburg, racing under the International Triathlon Union banner who heads the elite men starting list as his biggest challenge but believes that he can take on the rest of the competition.

He also feels that the 2 300 metres altitude is a problem for him since he trains at sea level.

“It’s quite a small field that’s racing here, we only seven elites so I definitely would like to get on the podium, there is some really strong competition one guy Jonas Schomburg, he is racing for ITU, he is like top 20 in the world so I don’t think we know each other really so it’s going to be a challenging race. My preparations have been going well, I have been working a lot on my swimming, my running is good as well, I think the one big challenge is altitude its quite high, two thousand three hundred metres and I am training at sea level  so it’s quite a big jump,’’ said Burger.

South African, Cindy Schwulst, one of the favourites in the elite women, just like Burger, pointed at the altitude as the challenge since she is from East London.

Schwulst, who was runner up to Mauritian Fabienne St Louis last year, is however looking forward to her fifth consecutive competition at what she described as a stunning venue.

“I finished second last year, I am hoping to do well again in this race, it’s my fifth consecutive year in a row, I really enjoy the course, it’s really challenging with the hills and the altitude,” she said.

“I am from the coast so that’s always a great challenge but it’s a stunning venue its absolutely beautiful here and I am looking forward to it. I have been training hard, we had the SA Champs two weeks ago so I had a good race so I am hoping for another good race here,’’ said Schwulst.

All elite athletes arrived in Nyanga on Thursday while Schomburg was expected to turn up in Nyanga on Friday night.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the triathlon event as being sanctioned by the ITU as an African Cup, which is a points-scoring race for elite athletes within the ITU classification.

Bonaqua, a Coca-Cola product bottled by Schweppes in Zimbabwe is the main bankroller of the event which is also supported by Hyundai, Bokomo Weet-Bix, Bon Marche and DHL. The total prize money stands at $3 000, with $750 going to the winners for both elite men and women, $500 for the runners up while those in third place will pocket $250.

Last year’s winners, Ayan Beisenbayev of Kazakhstan and St Louis did not enter this year’s competition with the Mauritian having called time on her career after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Bonaqua Troutbeck ATU Triathlon African Cup elite starting lists

Men: Jonas Schomburg (ITU), Dylan Nortje, Jacobus Kruger (both South Africa), Jean-Paul Burger (Namibia), Linus Stimmel (Germany), Ren Sato, Takumi Higo(both Japan)

Women: Aoi Kuramoto, Chika Sato (both Japan) Cindy Schwulst, Vicky Van Der Merwe, Jodie Berry,  Maude Elaine Le Roux(all South Africa)
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