Peter Kerr Rides Wave Of Success To Win Devonport

Posted in Other News

Triathlon, February 23, 2013: Triathlon’s man-of-the-moment Peter Kerr called on all his skills as a surf lifesaver in Warnambool to set up his third major victory in three months to take out today’s Oceania Sprint Distance Triathlon Championship in Devonport.

The 24-year-old Victorian won a thrilling sprint finish to add the Oceania title to his victories in the Australian Sprint distance Championship in Geelong and the Noosa Olympic Distance Title late last year.

Kerr stormed home after reveling in the choppy one-metre surf conditions that were more suited to Australia’s best Ironmen and Ironwomen and not Australia’s budding triathletes.

But Kerr rubbed his hands with glee when he arrived at the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club to see the kind of conditions he grew up in a Warnambool.

He came out of the water in the leading group and after hanging tough on the bike survived an “up and down” run with Ryan Bailie, Dan Wilson, Jamie Huggett, Ryan Fisher and Marcel Walkington and to charge away over the final 500 metres for a spirited victory.

Bailie, who was never afraid to lead on the bike and the run, hung on to take second with a revitalised Huggett claiming a well deserved third ahead of Queenslander Declan Wilson with Dan Wilson notching a confidence-boosting fifth after a horror run with injuries.

Kerr, who will now set his sights on races in Wellington, Mooloolaba, Auckland and San Diego said the winning feeling was something he could certainly get used to.

“It’s a habit I’d like to keep – to bolster the CV is a good thing,” said Kerr, who has his 2013 sights on the ITU World Championships in London and his long term goal, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

“We are developing a great new culture among our men and there’s ten guys who have the calibre to go all the way and it’s 100 percent my goal to go to the next Olympics.

“Our top men may well come from different States but we are all on the Australian team coming to these events and supporting each other and patting each other on the back.”

Meanwhile Canberra-based British athlete Jodie Stimpson won the women’s race in an all international podium, with Wollongong-based American Gwen Jorgensen taking second ahead of Irish Olympian Aileen Reid third.

Jorgensen’s Australian training partner from the Jamie Turner stable, Charlotte McShane, was the first Australian home and was awarded the Oceania gold medal.

In the Australian Junior Championships, Australian Youth Olympic Festival gold medallists Jaz Hedgeland and Jacob Birtwhistle continued on their winning ways to put themselves in the box seat for selection on the Australian team for this year’s ITU World Championships.

Western Australian Hedgeland, admitting she was “all at sea” in the choppy surf conditions, was surprised but delighted to come from the second pack on the bike to run down a brave Holly Grice from the Dan Atkins stable after a neck-an d-neck battle with defending champion and former ITU World Junior Champion, Mikayla Nielsen from New Zealand.

Birtwhistle, the boy from Launceston, who also said he was far from at home in the surf, coming out of the water in 13th place.

He lowly but surely worked his way through the field – coming from the second bike pack to put himself within striking distance for his specialist run leg.

But he knew the 5km run wasn’t going to be easy with the Kieran Barry coached Matt Baker from the NSW Central Coast, setting a hot pace on the run.

Birtwhistle took off on the final kilometre to reel Baker in and sprint away with the Australian Junior title and set himself up to lead the Australian Junior team for London in September.

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Issued on behalf of Triathlon Australia by

Ian Hanson

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