WALKINGTON AND JONES LEAD THE WAY AT TRIATHLONS SUPER SPRINT WEEKEND
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December 19: Victoria’s rising star of triathlon Marcel Walkington and Sydney’s brilliant teenager Bree Jones have topped the point scores after three vigorous days of racing in the opening round of the Australian Junior Triathlon Series on the Gold Coast.
The unorthodox Super Sprint weekend tested all of the competitors over various distances and disciplines in an extensive three days of competition held at Runaway Bay.
Nineteen-year-old Walkington, from Beaumaris in Victoria was a convincing winner in the overall junior men’s competition (186pts) ahead of Western Australian Kenji Nener (146), who won the Grand Final on Sunday morning, with outstanding Queensland 15-year-old Christian Wilson (102.5) taking third overall.
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In the junior women’s, 19-year-old Jones (169) from Cronulla showed all her class to edge out Grand Final winner WA’s Jaz Hedgeland (158.5) in the overall points ahead of Queenslander Brittany Forster (144.5)
The weekend’s racing attracted over 90 of Australia’s finest young triathletes who contested the gruelling race format, purposely designed to challenge the athletes, testing them in a high intensity, high pressure environment.
The long weekend of racing comprised of seven events; including pool swimming races; an 8km Criterium cycle race; a 1km track running race; an Aquathon and three short Triathlons of varying distances.
Each athlete collected points over the weekend depending on their finish position in each race, which resulted in a seeded position into the Grand Final Triathlon.
Triathlon Australia’s National Manager Athlete Development Craig Redman said the standard of performances was outstanding and provided the cream of Australia’s developing elite triathletes with the opportunity to show their wares and test themselves under race pressures.
“Just two years ago we had the likes of Emma Jackson and Ashleigh Gentle racing in this Series and these two have gone ahead in leaps and bounds on the international stage – both winning world titles,” said Redman.
“It is a system we are convinced works and provides these athletes with the best possible pathway to achieve their goals.
“I know a lot of the coaches who attended the weekend were very impressed with what they saw and the overall improvement in the skill set of our next generation.
“We are all very excited indeed for what the future holds.”
Redman said there was no doubt that many of those athletes who dominated the top ten pointscore would race the inaugural Australian Youth Triathlon Championship on the Sunshine Coast next year, with some vying for selection on the National Talent Academy Program.
Then there is the Oceania Championships in Devonport before the ITU World Championships in Auckland next November, definitely on the radar.
“There are enormous opportunities for our young triathletes, to really set up exciting careers for themselves,” said Redman.
“Their transitions are smoother, their race strategies are a lot better and their overall skill sets are slicker.
“Our numbers are strong and our talent pool is wider so our depth of talent is improving every year.
“There is no doubt our youngsters are getting access to better coaching and for the coaches to send their athletes into a National Camp will expose them to further improvements in their up-skilling.
“We are dealing with some very, very talented young people who are going to be successful at triathlon and also at anything they choose to undertake in their futures.”
While only three males and three females can qualify for the six junior spots available for next year’s ITU World Championships there are enormous opportunities between now and 2016 and beyond.
“Coming up over the next couple of years will be another World Championship over the Olympic course in London, the Sydney Youth Olympic Festival, the Youth Olympics and the Youth Commonwealth Games,” said Redman.
“So there is certainly plenty to look forward to for our budding young triathletes.”
Redman has 45 of the leading juniors in camp over the next three days on the Gold Coast, under the watch eyes of some of Australia’s and the world’s leading coaches, including Olympians Craig Walton and Peter Robertson.
TRIATHLON RESULTS
AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR TRIATHLON SERIES, Round One, SUPER SPRINT, Runaway Bay
Junior Men
Marcel Walkington (VIC), 186 pts Kenji Nener (WA) 146 Christian Wilson (QLD) 102.5 Braden Ludlow (NSW) 96.5 Rodolphe Von berg (ITA) 95 Ben Anderson (VIC) 82.5 points Declan Wilson (ACT) 79 Luke Farrell (QLD) 73 Joel Tobin-White (VIC) 66.5 Kieran Roche (NSW) 61.5
Junior Women
Bree Jones (NSW) 169 points Jaz Hedgeland (WA) 158.5 Brittany Forster (QLD) 144.5
Holly Grice (QLD) 139 Jenna Fulton (QLD) 92.5 Emily Bevan (QLD) 88.5 Laura Cook (NSW) 85 Anna Coldham (VIC) 64 Natalea Smith (Tas) 63 Breony Heaton (QLD) 57.
Issued on behalf of Triathlon Australia.