Enter the “X Factor” Birtwhistle as Australia’s top juniors go head-to-head for World Championship Team
Triathlon Australia, January 20, 2014: Last year’s Youth Olympic champions and defending champions Jake Birtwhistle and Jaz Hedgeland can expect plenty of company when Australia’s top juniors converge on Melbourne’s Brighton Beach on Sunday for the 2014 Australian Junior Triathlon Championships.
Selections on the Australian team for this year’s ITU World Championships for Edmonton Canada (August 26-31) will be on the line.
After graduating from high school, Launceston’s Birtwhistle made the move from Tasmania to link up with Jamie Turner’s Wollongong Wizard’s group in NSW while WA’s Hedgeland also made a coaching change, moving to Dan Atkins National Academy Group in Perth.
Both Birtwhistle and Hedgeland know they have a group of spritely fellow competitors waiting to take them on after the first two rounds on the Gold Coast and Penrith as they all set their sights on the three available spots for Edmonton.
It will be 19-year-old Birtwhistle’s first appearance in the Scody Junior Series, which he dominated last year on his way to Youth Olympic gold and the ITU World Championships in London.
Birtwhistle, who spent time with Turner’s group at Falls Creek in the lead up to the season has already chalked up wins in the Rob de Castella U20 3000m on the track at the Zatopek 10 Meet at Melbourne’s Olympic Park, as well as a bragging rights win in Wollongong’s Australia Day Aquathon.
But waiting on the start line will be five Queensland, Series leader Max Neumann, Matt Hauser, Calvin Quirk, Matt Roberts and Dan Coleman who will be joined by Victoria’s top ranked junior Nick McGuire, who sits third on the pointscore behind Neumann and Hauser.
For Hedgeland, fourth in the London ITU World Junior Championships last year, she knows just how competitive it is as she shares the leaderboard on 19-points with 16-year-old Queenslander Brittany Dutton.
Dutton produced an impressive Youth Olympic Games qualifying win at Penrith ahead of another Brisbane schoolgirl, Sophie Malowiecki who is now breathing down their necks just one point behind in third place on the Scody pointscore.
Turner is impressed with how Birtwhistle has taken to the move and has settled into his new surrounds and into his more senior international group which includes the likes of London Olympian Brendan Sexton, 2012 ITU Under 23 World Champion and early Commonwealth nomination Aaron Royle, Australia’s second ranked ITU athlete Ryan Bailie and Irishman Bryan Keane.
“I am actually admiring his tenacity. He may be quiet in his own way but he’s not afraid to take on the other boys and test them out and that’s a good thing,” said Turner.
“He showed that in a quality session on the bike the other day and I thought to myself he will earn himself respect as an athlete with that kind of stuff, which is a good thing.
“But Jake is still very much developing his craft, working through his apprenticeship if you like and while we think it’s going to be an accelerated apprenticeship, he has to be able to concentrate on his racing not matter what’s going on around him.
“We aim to provide Jake with as much exposure as we can to high quality racing and for him to learn how to race when the pressure is on and in different environments and in different countries in Europe and in Asia in Continental Cups and World Cups.”
2014 Australian Junior Triathlon Championships
Race Three – SCODY Australian Junior Triathlon Series
(The 2014 Australian Junior Triathlon Championships and the automatic selection race 1 for the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Championships in Edmonton, Canada)
Where: Brighton Beach, Melbourne
When: Sunday, February 23, 2014
Course: Venue and Course Maps
Start Times: Elite Female (9.00am) Elite Male (9:45am)
Distance (Sprint):
750m SWIM: 750m clockwise lap of Green Point Brighton.
20km BIKE: 5 x 4km laps heading south between Green Point Brighton and Linacre Rd, Hampton.
5km RUN: 4 x 1.25km laps on Beach rd heading north between Green Point Brighton and Dendy St Brighton
Ones to watch:
MALES: Jake Birthwhistle (TAS), Max Neumann (QLD), Matt Hauser (QLD), Calvin Quirk (QLD)
FEMALES: Jaz Hedgeland (WA), Brittany Dutton (QLD), Sophie Malowiecki (QLD)
PHOTOS: Event photos will be available upon request
MALE SNAPSHOT: The depth in Australia’s junior males will be on show in what could be a defining race in the charge towards the Scody Series and the ITU World Championship team, particularly given the arrival of the “X factor” defending champion Jake Birtwhistle who will be making his 2014 Junior race debut. Matt Hauser stepped up to the plate with an impressive win in Penrith to qualify for the Youth Olympic Games in China. Keep watch on Hayden Allder and latest National Talent Academy squad member Matt Roberts to dominate the swim as they try to get away on the bike. Male Field
KEEP TABS ON: Victorian Nick McGuire who will be out to split up the Queensland connection. He is sitting in third on the pointscore
FEMALE SNAPSHOT: Defending champion Jaz Hedgeland knows there is no room for complacency and she will be out to let her rivals know when they line up with Edmonton on their minds but expect this to come down to the run with Penrith winner and fellow National talent Academy athletes Brittany Dutton and brilliant runner Sophie Malowiecki ready for a 5km shoot out. Dutton was brilliant in Penrith and will be out to show she can back it up as she prepares to represent Australia at the YOG. Malowiecki loves to race. This should go right down to the wire. Female Field
KEEP TABS ON: Kira Hedgeland, Jaz’s younger sister in her first year in the Juniors, who is thriving on the sister act’s move to Dan Atkins. She will be out to improve on her performance in Penrith.
POINTSCORE:
|
Pl |
NAME - ITU JUNIOR WOMEN |
State |
Age in 2014 |
Gold Coast QLD |
Penrith, NSW |
Brighton, VIC |
Devonport, TAS |
TOTAL |
|
1 |
Brittany DUTTON |
QLD |
17 |
8 |
11 |
19 |
||
|
1 |
Jaz HEDGELAND |
WA |
19 |
11 |
8 |
19 |
||
|
3 |
Sophie MALOWIECKI |
QLD |
17 |
9 |
9 |
18 |
||
|
4 |
Laura DENNIS |
QLD |
19 |
7 |
3 |
10 |
||
|
5 |
Mikala FALCONER |
WA |
19 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
||
|
6 |
Kira HEDGELAND |
WA |
16 |
6 |
1 |
7 |
||
|
6 |
Meg STEVENSON |
VIC |
19 |
7 |
7 |
|||
|
8 |
Elizabeth STANNARD |
NZL |
17 |
6 |
6 |
|||
|
9 |
Jessica HOSKIN |
QLD |
16 |
5 |
5 |
|||
|
10 |
Jaimee LEADER |
NZL |
17 |
4 |
4 |
|||
|
11 |
Breony HEATON |
QLD |
18 |
3 |
3 |
|||
|
12 |
Kirsty DEACON |
VIC |
17 |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
12 |
Lucy SMITH |
QLD |
17 |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
14 |
Hayley STANFORD |
VIC |
16 |
1 |
1 |
|
Pl |
NAME - ITU JUNIOR MEN |
State |
Age in 2014 |
Gold Coast QLD |
Penrith, NSW |
Brighton, VIC |
Devonport, TAS |
TOTAL |
|
1 |
Max NEUMANN |
QLD |
19 |
9 |
11 |
20 |
||
|
2 |
Matthew HAUSER |
QLD |
16 |
8 |
9 |
17 |
||
|
3 |
Nick McGUIRE |
VIC |
19 |
5 |
8 |
...
Issued on behalf of Triathlon Australia
Ian Hanson
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