Who to watch in Beijing: Women triathletes (1)

(BEIJING, July 27) -- As the Olympic Games approach, triathletes from all over the world are busy preparing for their Beijing appearance. Mari Rabie, 21, was the first African to stand atop the podium at the world championships this year after taking the bronze in the under-23 category. Her best three results for 2008 up to now include third place in the Vancouver U23 World Championships, 20th place in the New Plymouth World Cup and 26th place in the Mooloolaba World Cup.

Racing in the Olympic Games has been a lifelong dream for the South African, as indicated by an entry in her internet blog. "Another memory is of a 13-year-old me sitting on our living room floor, at 2 a.m. during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. It was the first time triathlon would feature in the Olympics and there was no chance in the world I would miss it, even though I had swim training the next morning at 5:15 a.m. I remember the streets of Sydney looking absolutely packed. I kept on asking my mum during the men's swim, 'Where is Conrad? Where is Conrad?' [Conrad Stoltz, first South African man to race an Olympics]. A tough question to answer during a wetsuit swim.

"My question was soon answered on the bike though. Conrad and Oliver Marceau had a successful breakaway on the bike, IN THE OLYMPICS! My parents had invited most of the local triathlon crowd over and Conrad's break caused so much excitement in our house that we woke up my poor sister who was writing her final High School exams during that time. I remember thinking, 'One day I would like to be able to do that...'"

Rabie will surely gain experience in Beijing and just get better heading into London for the 2012 Games.