Chilean Triathlete Gets Head Start In The Gong

Illawarra Mercury

Friday August 8, 2008

By MIKE GANDON

CHILEAN triathlete Barbara Riveros is putting the finishing touches to her preparations in a wintry Wollongong before leaving for the heat of China to compete in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games women's triathlon on August 18.

Riveros, 21, will be accompanied by Chile's Australian coach, Jamie Turner, who also is the NSW Institute of Sport Southern High Performance Centre coach based at the University of Wollongong.

"I'm feeling very excited. This will be my first Olympics and I have just turned 21 years of age so I am very happy," Riveros said yesterday.

"It's been two-and-a-half years of tough work."

Riveros described the change from a Chilean coach to Turner as a "very, very good decision."

Part of her more recent training has been indoors in conditions to simulate the expected heat and humidity in China.

Riveros has been a frequent visitor to the Illawarra, first arriving in 2006 to complete an English course at UOW.

At this time, Riveros began working with coach Turner who took charge of her last August (2007) in Hungary at the beginning of the 2008 Olympic qualification period as she attempted to become the first person to represent her country in the sport of triathlon.

"Barbara's strategy to earn qualification to the Olympics was to lead the Pan American Continental rankings during the Olympic qualifying period May 2007 to May 2008," Turner said.

"The top ranked athlete at the end of this period earned their country a place amongst the 55 competitors at the Beijing event.

"Taking on the strength and budget of the four-athlete female Mexican team was to be the major challenge.

"Barbara spent January to March this year (2008) training in Wollongong preparing for the numerous competitions that would decide her qualification."

This plan was to include victories in Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras and Mexico.

These results provided her with a number one ranking in the Pan American Continental rankings and gained the Olympic spot for her country.

After world championship and World Cup events in Canada and the United States, Riveros returned home to Santiago for an eight-day retreat and since then has been completing her final six weeks of Olympic preparation in Wollongong.

After the Games, Riveros will return to Wollongong intent on developing her capacities at the Olympic level in Australia but still represent her home country of Chile.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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