St. John’s Antigua- A three-member triathlon team from Antigua & Barbuda will be heading to the Caribbean Triathlon Championships – Tri de Spice – in Grenada on Sunday, May 6.

The team will include Andre Simon and Wayne Henry, who will be accompanied by one official from Antigua & Barbuda Triathlon Association (ABTRI).

Cleofoster Harris will travel as team manager. The ABTRI official aims to use the trip as part of preparations to host a national triathlon championship in Antigua in November this year.

Twenty-four year old Simon, who captured the OECS Sprint Distance (750m swim, 20km cycle, and 5km run) title in 2011, will be tackling the longer Olympic Distance (1,500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) and aiming for the title of Caribbean Olympic Champion.

The local tri-athlete has had a promising start to his 2012 season after beginning an intensive training programme with new coach Claudio Delpueche late in 2011.

Simon has so far seen success in the longer half-iron distance format (2,000m swim, 90km cycle, 21km run), placing second place overall at the local Tinman event in January, and ninth in his age group in Puerto Rico’s half-ironman in March this year.

“It’s a step back down in distance after starting with the sprint last year and then going straight up to the half-iron, but I’m pretty confident I will be able to perform and think I should be within a shot of the title,” Simon said.

The veteran Henry will be tackling the shorter Sprint distance and aiming to take top prize in his age category.

The ABTRI team is being supported by LIAT 1974 Ltd, Antigua & Barbuda Olympic Association (ABOA), and the Ministry of Sports.