Wonder Woman: at 43, Kate Rutherford is ready to save the day for Hong Kong triathlon
Despite repeated rejections to represent her city, housewife kept trying and training. Now, she has the opportunity to help the sport regain elite status
Kate Rutherford came to Hong Kong 12 years ago as a housewife. Today, at 43 years old, she is seen as triathlon’s Wonder Woman – a heroine who can save the sport that once overlooked her and restore its status among the elite disciplines at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.
The mother of two will make her debut for Hong Kong today when she competes in the 2016 Le Morne ATU Sprint Triathlon African Cup in Mauritius.
The event is merely the first step for Rutherford, though, whose main target is next month’s Asian Championships in Hiroshima, Japan.
If she can help Hong Kong to a medal in Hiroshima, triathlon can use her performance – along with three other outstanding results over the past year – to return the sport to the institute’s Tier A level, which they lost after the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.
Age is just a number and I don’t feel any difference when I was 20
“I never dreamed I could have the opportunity like this, especially at my age. I am very lucky,” said Liverpool-born Rutherford, who picked up the sport six years ago. “I have been working very hard over the last few years and tried many times to get into the national squad. I am very grateful for the opportunity.