Luke Officer Named Top USAF Female Athlete

1st Lt. Kathy Rakel, chief of intelligence readiness for the 56th Operations Group at Luke AFB, Ariz., is the Air Force’s 2010 female athlete of the year. She is a professional triathlete who was introduced to the demanding sport when she attended the Air Force Academy. In the summer of 2006, Rakel competed in her first triathlon, a half ironman event in Tempe, Ariz., where she set the female cadet record with a time of 11:46:42. She then began training with a coach, which led her to qualifying for the pro circuit in May 2009 and entering it in January 2010. She’s a member of USAF’s triathlon team and intends to be the first American woman to win gold at the July 2011 Military World Games in Brazil. She also hopes to win gold in the 2016 Olympics. (Luke release by SrA. C.J. Hatch)