Bajan Triathlete earns scholarship for Wingate University this fall in North Carolina
Zahra Gaskin has signed to attend Wingate University and to compete for the Bulldogs Triathlon Team this fall 2022.
The rising National Triathlete will take her talents to the 3-year old women’s triathlon program at Wingate University in North Carolina, USA which came on as the school’s 23rd NCAA sport in June of 2020 and became the 14th NCAA Division II school to have triathlon. Led by Olympian Head Coach Nick Radkewich, Zahra will join the current eight-member team with hopes of making a big splash on the collegiate circuit.
Zahra triathlon’s journey began at the tender age of 5 through the Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) Kid’s Series. Years later, her determination and potential saw her being named as one of the first athletes to BFIT’s Junior Emerging Athlete Program (JEAP). A Program created to develop athletes with long term potential to achieve high performance and elite standard performance through financial and coaching support. Zahra has competed for Barbados at CARIFTA and most recently made her debut at the inaugural 2021 Junior Pan American Games in Colombia where she performed notably amongst the top junior triathletes in the Americas.
This commitment and hard work throughout the years have landed Zahra a triathlon scholarship and a spot on the Bulldogs collegiate roster where she will have the opportunity to excel both athletically and academically.
The growing collegiate sport of Women’s triathlon was approved in January 2014 as a NCAA Emerging Sport for Women for NCAA Division I, II and III institutions. The fall sport varsity season includes three regional qualifiers followed by the Women’s Collegiate Triathlon National Championships. Races are sprint distance, featuring an open water 750-meter swim, draft legal 20-kilometer cycling and a 5-kilometer run.
Zahra now joins a growing number of Barbadian triathletes who have gained scholarships to compete for a collegiate institution in the USA. With the likes of Chara Hinds, who joined Delaware State University last fall and Neil Skinner who currently competes for Queen’s University at Charlotte in North Carolina.
