Butterfield postpones retirement to defend title

Abu Dhabi: A day ahead of their participation in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon, the world’s elite triathletes were balancing hours of exercise with time in the UAE sun, visiting the capital’s landmarks.

The triathlon, now in its fourth year, is set to take place on Saturday and will see 41 elite competitors take part alongside more than 2,000 hopefuls from 76 countries.

Australian defending women’s champion Nikki Butterfield said she had postponed retirement plans to compete in this year’s event. She had planned to quit shortly after giving birth, when she could no longer balance her duties as a mother, wife and athlete.

“I hope my body remembers how to race and I am really looking forward to see where I’m at,” Butterfield, who has been in training since last December, told Gulf News.

Despite pressure to defend her title from last year, Butterfield was not tense about the challenge.

“I have a different mindset this year and it’s nice to live the experience again,” the long course athlete said.

While most athletes find the UAE’s desert climate tough, Butterfield said it was no particular trouble for her as it is currently “hot and humid in Australia”, where she lives and trains.

Also competing in the long-course race will be Anu Vaidyanathan, who expressed her enthusiasm about being in the UAE for the first time and representing India in the upcoming triathlon.

“I couldn’t ask for a better race to start the year than the Abu Dhabi Triathlon,” India’s first female Ironman athlete said.

“I think coming [to Abu Dhabi] and competing against the best in the world sets the stage for preparation mentally and physically, so I put myself in the pressure to train well so I can have at least a good race.”

Being an Indian female athlete, Vaidyanathan said she also feels some responsibility to represent her country.

“As women, we already have a lot of barriers, but if you’re balanced mentally and physically, you can be a better wife or a better mother,” she said, adding that women should take up sports and “not get carried away by all the testosterone in the field”.

Vaidyanathan described the hospitality she had received in Abu Dhabi as “out of this world” and the people as “very warm.”

The Triathlon comprises a “long” course — a 3km swim, 200km bicycle ride, and 20km run and a “short” course featuring half the distances.

— Sarah Diaa is a Trainee with Gulf News