AUSTRALIAN YOUTH TRIATHLON CHAMPIONSHIPS, March 13, 2014: Brisbane teenager Matt Roberts has put the icing on a triathlon season that began in hospital with a punctured lung last November.

The 17-year-old from Albany Creek came back to display his fighting qualities to win a gripping Australian Youth Triathlon Championship (17-18 years) at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast, yesterday.

The win came just over three months after he was hit by a car while riding his bike to a criterium. He spent the next month recovering from a cracked rib and a punctured lung.

He was out of action for a month, missing the opening round of the Triathlon Australia Scody Junior Series at Runaway Bay in December.

Roberts made his season debut at Penrith in January and has gradually fought his way back to full fitness with a solid race at the Australian championships in Brighton (VIC) last month.

He then finished third and capped off the Series with a bronze medal in the Oceania Championships in Devonport two weeks ago – securing third place overall.

“It was nice to get a result in Devonport and despite fatigued legs it was good to chalk up a win here too; it’s a great race, especially the crowd support,” said Roberts, who then spoke about the accident that delayed his season start.

“A few weeks before Runaway Bay I got hit by the car so I didn’t get a good lead in to the ITU Series.

“I was just out riding on my way to a Criterium Series and a car t-boned me and I was out for four weeks with a cracked rib and an air pocket in my lung.

“My first race after the accident wasn’t until Penrith in January as I was not allowed to elevate my heart rate above 100 beats per minute.

“But I have improved heaps thanks to my coach Josh White and my training squad partners.”

Roberts, who started his career as a swimmer, led the 750m swim by over 25 metres today and after being caught by the chase pack, led a group of 12 that rode hard on the bike for the 20 kilometres.

The five-kilometre run developed into a real ding dong battle with Gold Coaster Calvin Quirk who ran himself into the ground, pushing Roberts to the limit with Victorian Jack Van Stekelenburg a promising third, despite playing catch up after the swim.

White admitted his young charge was a very lucky boy.

“To come back and do what he has done is amazing, he is so lucky,” said White, who also coaches women’s winner Brittany Dutton, who has qualified for the Australian team for this year’s Youth Olympic Games in China in August.

The women’s race saw Dutton steal a march on the field, leading all the way after she came out of the swim in front of Chelsea Gerrard (QLD), Kirsty Deacon (VIC) and Grace Hoitink (ACT).

It was then a solo 20km ride for 34 minutes and 20 seconds before she cleared out on the five kilometre run to win by over a minute 20 seconds in a stunning performance after tonsillitis curtailed her races in Brighton and Devonport.

In other results:

• Western Australia’s Kira Hedgeland, fresh from her second place finish to sister Jaz in the Scody Junior Series, was a comfortable winner in the 15-16-years girls event with team mate Jessica Claxton providing a WA quinella with Matilda Vidler (VIC) third.

• Liam Burton from NSW won the 15-16 years boys in the absence of Scody Junior champion Matt Hauser, who withdrew with an illness. Silver went to Kurt McDonald (VIC) with Jace Grant (QLD) the bronze in a tight race all round.

• Samantha Whitting (QLD) took the 13-14 years girls from Ellie Hoitink (ACT) and Sarah Gardner (NSW) while the boys race went to Newcastle’s Lorcan Redmond (NSW) from Elliot Schultz (QLD) and Callam Lang (NSW).

RESULTS

Triathlon Australia, National Youth Championships, Novotel, Twin Waters:

Boys

13-14 years L Redmond (NSW) E Schultz (QLD) C Lang  (NSW)

15-16years L Burton (NSW) K McDonald (VIC) J Grant (QLD)

17-18 years M Roberts (QLD) C Quirk (QLD) J Van Stekelenburg (VIC)

Girls

 13-14 years S Whitting (QLD) E Hoitink (ACT) 2. S Gardner (NSW)

15-16years K Hedgeland (WA)J Claxton (WA) 2 M Vidler (VIC)

17-18 years B Dutton (QLD) K Deacon (VIC) G Hoitink (ACT)