Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 61, August 2014 | Page 15

A Wealth of

feature

Ma

SA’s two-time Olympic triathlete
Kate Roberts is off to the
Commonwealth Games this month with
the hope of capturing a medal, having
finally recovered from a lingering foot
injury. Looking further ahead, she also
sees herself reinvesting her know-how
into the sport when she eventually
decides to retire. - BY LAUREN VAN DER VYVER

Images: Courtesy Kate Roberts

Strong on the bike at the
London 2012 Olympics.

fter 15 years of participation in triathlon,
Kate has raced all over the
globe and her career CV is quite
something to shout about: She holds
seven ITU African Championship wins,
several national triathlon and aquathlon
titles as well as Energade series wins, has
won several titles in France and Italy, and
proudly wore the green and gold at the
2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics.
Another highlight was finishing 2010 ranked
seventh in the world, with her fourth-place
finish at that year’s ITU Triathlon World
Champs in Hamburg playing a
leading role in her breaking into
the global top 10.
Kate’s vast experience is sure
to be a huge benefit to Team
SA at the Commonwealth Games
in Glasgow, and she is happy to share
her competitive wisdom. “This year at
the Games, I’m one of the experienced
ones alongside Richard Murray and
Gillian Sanders. I’m used to that village
environment of the Games, so I’m giving
advice to the younger guys, telling them
things I did right and wrong.”

Kate finished
22nd at 2012’s
London
Olympics.

These Games come at a time when
Kate is re-evaluating her participation
in the pro set-up, and so, because
Glasgow’s ‘Friendly Games’ might be her
international swansong, she’s treating it
with a little more sentimentality. “I want
to embrace that enjoyment factor... but
this SA team also has a good chance at
a medal, especially with Richard in the
mix in the individual race, so we’re really
excited. In the team race, I’m starting, so
it’s crucial for me to set the team up well,
then Henri Schoeman is second, and he
can definitely make up time. Gillian will be
a strong third leg, and obviously Richard is
strong to bring us home.”

The Team’s Teacher

Kate has been involved in triathlon since
2000 and believes it was a natural fit for
her. “Sport was natural growing up with

the likes of athletes LJ Van Zyl and
Johan Cronje back in Bloemfontein. I
started running and swimming at school
and then triathlon became a part of
my life,” says Kate, who juggled races
and training while studying a B.Com in
Human Resource Management at the
University of the Free State. Having
completed her studies in 2005, she
turned pro, later basing herself out of
Australia for a number of years.
Now back in SA, Kate was sidelined by
a foot injury for the last few months,
but she approached the recovery
process conservatively so she could be
in shape for the Games. With morning
and afternoon sessions at the High
Performance Centre in Pretoria with
coach Lindsay Parry, she has learnt
to listen to her body and has a lot
more freedom when she feels there
is a specific session she should work
on. “There is room to adjust, and
before competitions, we learn to limit
distractions and manage recovery.”

Giving Back

With the Games her foremost priority
right now, Kate is also planning to give
back to the sport when she decides
to hang up the goggles, helmet and
running shoes. “Depending on my
future results, I may stay in the sport
longer – I’m still in for the 5150 events
and competing for fun, but it’s exciting
to get that social and work balance I’ve
never had. More importantly, though,
right now there is no series in SA,
and it’s difficult because tri is still a
self-funding sport. I want to work with
corporates to harness the tri potential
in SA, and I want to help and plan
these programmes. It’s moulded me
for the rest of my life, so I want to give
back – and we should be able to take a
talented squad to every Games.”
Follow Kate on Twitter: @katiepure

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