It will be chilly and the water will be colder than the Samoa seas but it will be a historic first for a team of four Samoan triathletes to compete in the Tri-NZ Sprint Championships, held in Napier New Zealand on Sunday.

The triathletes are Gideon Mulitalo , 20, who is also the captain of the national team, Urlin Mulitalo, 18, Manamea Schwalger, 17, and Tyreece Collins, 16. They are accompanied by their team manager, Sade Schwalger.

They flew to Auckland last Sunday where they were met by their hosts, the USO Bike Club, who then drove them on the five-hour trip to Napier.

The athletes were also part of Team Samoa who competed at the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.

Triathlon mentor Darren Young explained that an athlete must keep having race goals to train for.

“We see it every four years. Sports get hyped to go to the Pacific Games, they train hard, and then when they come back? It all dies again for another few years. But we need to train consistently all the time. That’s why we planned for our young triathletes to go to this event in NZ. They had a short break over Christmas and then right back to training,” he said.

Alan Schwalger, the President of the Tri-Sports Samoa Association said, “The competition in Napier will be intense. They get to see for themselves the level at which they need to strive for as they continue on their triathlon journey.”

Alan is also a father to one of the athletes and he is heavily involved in their daily training program. He added, “We are so proud of them and excited for what lies ahead.”

Athlete families fundraised to help pay for their airfare, but all the accommodation, meals and transport in New Zealand are being provided for the team by the USO Bike Club members in Hawkes Bay.

“We are so grateful for their generousity,” said Secretary-General Lani Young. “We could not have our athletes go to this event without the help of the USO Bike Club.”

The race is on Sunday at 8 am. It is a Sprint Distance triathlon – a 750m swim with wetsuits in the cold NZ ocean which will be a brand-new experience for the Samoan triathletes, a 20km bike, and then a 5km run to the finish line.

The event will be livestreamed worldwide and people can get the link on the Triathlon Samoa Facebook page.