Densham and Sexton lead next generation into World Championship Campaign

By

October 15, 2012

Australia’s London Olympic bronze medallist Erin Densham, will lead an 18-strong Triathlon Australia team for this week’s 2012 ITU World Triathlon Championship grand final in Auckland, starting on Thursday October 18 and concluding on Monday, October 22.

Densham, the ITU Women’s Series leader, will be joined by 2008 Olympic debutant Brendan Sexton, rising star Ashleigh Gentle and established stars, 2012 ITU Duathlon World Champion Felicity Sheedy-Ryan and former ITU World Junior Champion Felicity Abram, in an Australian team announced today by Triathlon Australia.

The elites will be joined by an exciting group of Under 23 and Junior athletes, who will represent the future of the sport as Triathlon Australia targets the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and the 2020 Olympic Games.

In what has already been dubbed the biggest ever World Triathlon Championship Australia will be sending a huge age group contingent of over 600, many who will be defending their world titles from Beijing as well as a team of Paratriathletes, some with their sights on the sport’s debut in Rio in 2016.

“It’s a small but select elite group and actually not surprising in an Olympic year but we’re excited about Erin’s chances of claiming yet another World Championship Title for Australia” said Australian head coach Shaun Stephens.

“Erin is coming off the high of the bronze medal which she thoroughly deserved and she has put herself right in the firing line to snatch the world title – with the pointscore so close it will come down to a race in two between herself and Sweden’s Olympic silver medallist Lisa Norden.

“Whoever wins Auckland will win the world title.

“The Olympic year always takes its toll on the elite athletes with many athletes focusing their entire year on the one race.  Hence, a number of our elite athletes have chosen to take an early break for the year.”

Those Olympians missing from the Australian elite team are two-time ITU World Champion Emma Moffatt and former World Under 23 Champion Emma Jackson as well as Olympians Brad Kahlefeldt and Courtney Atkinson.

But Stephens is excited about the next generation – who will all line up in what will be very competitive under 23 and Junior divisions.

Stephens said the men’s program, in particular, needed rebuilding and Auckland will provide an opportunity for the U23 men to step up to the plate and take on the responsibility of becoming future stars of the sport.  

Australia will field a team of four under 23 males led by NSW’s Aaron Royle and Queensland’s Ryan Fisher who will be joined by Josh Amberger (QLD) and Ryan Bailie (NSW).

“The world is their oyster as they say for these boys, especially Aaron and Ryan, who have shown enormous potential and improvement over the past 12 months,” said Stephens.

“They should be in the race from the start; the bike will certainly be a tester and it will be a question of who has the legs on the run.

“Depending on the final start list, this could well be one of the races of the championships.

“Our under 23 and junior women should be on the pace with the likes of NSWIS pair Natalie Van Coevorden, Ashlee Bailie and Charlotte McShane in the under 23s and NSW’s Tamsyn Moana-Veale and Queensland pair Ellie Salthouse and Emily Bevan in the juniors.

“The junior boys with Victoria pair Marcel Walkington and Joel Tobin-White and Kenji Nener from WA are all capable.”

Australia will also field a strong team of five Paratriathletes including defending world champion and AIS scholarship holder Bill Chaffey and six-time Winter Paralympic gold medallist in Alpine skiing, Michael Milton.

Australian Triathlon Team, 2012 ITU World Championships, Auckland, October 20-21:

ELITE
Females
Erin Densham (VIS/AIS)
Ashleigh Gentle (QAS/AIS)
Felicity Sheedy-Ryan (WAIS)
Felicity Abram (QAS/AIS)
Males
Brendan Sexton (VIS/AIS)

UNDER 23s
Females
Natalie Van Coevorden (NSWIS)
Charlotte McShane (NSWIS)
Ashlee Bailie (NSWIS)
Males 
Josh Amberger (QLD)
Aaron Royle (NSWIS)
Ryan Fisher (QAS)
Ryan Bailie (NSWIS)

JUNIOR
Females
Tamsyn Moana-Veale (NSWIS)
Ellie Salthouse (QLD)
Emily Bevan (QLD)
Males
Marcel Walkington (VIS)
Kenji Nener (WA)
Joel Tobin-White (VIC)

Paratriathletes
Males
Bill Chaffey (NSW)
Dale Grant (VIC)
Michael Milton (ACT)
Jonathan Goerlach (NSW)
Fraser Dowling (NSW) pilot

Females
Claire McLean (WA)

Staff
National Performance Director: Michael Flynn
Head Coach: Shaun Stephens
U23 Coach: Jamie Turner
Junior Coach: Craig Redman
Coach: Craig Walton
Dietician / Sports Science and Medicine Coordinator: Greg Cox
Assistant manager: Emma Whitelaw
Physiotherapy and Massage: Dean Sullivan
Mechanics: Josh White/ Steve Wallis
Media Liaison: Ian Hanson