NTA makes public annual programme

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Triathlon Association (NTA) today made public their annual programme which included the International Invitational Championships and first National Triathlon Championships.

The NTA will begin their programme from August with the selection of national triathletes. August will also see the launching of Intra-school and Inter-school Tournaments apart from Open Triathlon Championships in Kathmandu and Pokhara.

Triathlon is the combination of swimming, cycling and running. The standard triathlon includes 1.5km swimming, 40km cycling and 10km running, while the sprint format is half of the standard distance.

Revealing its plans at a press conference today, NTA general secretary Nilendra Shrestha said the sport’s governing body will also host Open Triathlon Championship in Janakpur and Jhapa in September.

The NTA will send junior triathletes to the ITU World Junior Cap to be held in New Zealand from October 7-15.

The International Invitation and first National Championship will be held in March, 2013 in Pokhara. Kathmandu will also host another Open event in April, 2013, while two more open events will be organised in Butwal (May, 2013) and Lalitpur and Bhaktapur in June.

In July, Kathmandu will host three events including Open Corporate Championships. NTA will also organise Open Duathlon Championships in Pokhara, Kathmandu and Rukum in November, 2012 and in Hetauda, Biratnagar and Dharan in the preceding months.

Duathlon is the combination of running and cycling. Meanwhile, Tika Ram Thapa won the Triathlon Experience – an introductory event organised by NTA today. Tika won the sprint triathlon in 1 hour 35.28 minutes.

Tika completed the 750m swimming in 11.51 minutes, 20km cycling in 1:08.96 hours and 5km run in 24.81 minutes. Rudra Katuwal (1:36.03) and Rajiv Gurung (1:37.51) finished second and third respectively in the event organised by the NTA to attract athletes from different individual sports related to triathlon.