By Allison Redman
A relative newcomer to the sport of triathlon, Kate Doughty has relocated to Canberra to give herself the best chance of competing in Rio.
Kate previously represented Australia in equestrian, including at the World Equestrian Games, but made the transition to triathlon in late 2014, competing in her first paratriathlon race in January 2015.
"I met my coach in January last year and he and the (training)squad (Performance Triathlon Coaching) are based in Canberra so I was doing a lot of back and forth for training" she said.
After winning an international race in Japan in May last year, Kate said she was spending more time in Canberra, as they "could see potential".
Claiming a bronze medal at the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in September and becoming an Australian Institute of sport categorised athlete encouraged Kate to move to Canberra to give herself the best opportunity for Rio.
Previously based in Melbourne, Kate said it was a big commitment to relocate but she was lucky in finding a job as a rehabilitation consultant with APM which allows her to work within her chosen field and provides flexibility to pursue her athletic career.
Paratriathlon will make its first appearance at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and the event features a 750m swim, 20km bike road and 5km run.
Kate will be looking to secure a spot on the Australian team and will compete in the final Rio qualifier on 24 April in Penrith where she has to podium finish or be the first Australian in her category.
"I'm not going to say I'm racing (at Rio) until I'm on the starting line. That's when I'll know I'm actually racing," she said.