Over 260 junior, youth and rookie athletes will converge on the Gold Coast this weekend for the first round of the 2019-20 Australian Junior and Youth Triathlon Series at the BLK Performance Centre.
Kicking off the Triathlon Australia Performance Calendar for the season, the Super Sprint Race Weekend (SSRW) is the first of four huge weekends of ITU Youth and Junior racing for the Australian Junior and Youth Triathlon Series (AJYTS).
Reigning Junior National Champions Charlotte Derbyshire (SA) and Oscar Dart (VIC) return to the ITU Junior categories as they set their sights on back-to-back Australian titles. While Youth A Series winners Tara Sosinksi (QLD) and Toby Powers (QLD) will make their debut in the Junior category, alongside the ACT’s Chloe Bateup, Victoria’s Darcy Williams and Tasmania’s Jonte Armistead who all featured on the final Youth Series podium, making for a competitive Junior line-up.
Off the back of Triathlon Australia’s partnership with Miyakojima City as a training venue in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Japanese athletes Akira Fukushima, Yuuya Ootani, Yuki Hayashida and Amu Oomuro will also be joining the Junior field to put their skills to the test on the Runaway Bay circuit and some all important international competition
In the Youth A division, Queenslanders Mia Wooldridge, Tamsyn Hill, Sophie Burger, Sebastian Wingad, Peyton Craig, and Ethan Close will be looking to continue their AJYTS success, after a strong 2018-19 season that saw them dominate the Youth B category.
The 2019 edition of the Super Sprint Race Weekend will also see over 30 rookies make their Super Sprint debut, with the new ‘Rookie’ category designed to provide additional racing experience to young local athletes.
The Series is an important feature in the domestic racing calendar, providing junior and youth athletes opportunity to experience competitive racing in a spirited and exciting environment.
Taking athletes to Queensland’s Runaway Bay SSRW, Canberra’s Capital Trilogy, Tasmania’s Devonport Triathlon, and New Zealand’s New Plymouth Triathlon, athletes will compete for points in the hope of securing the prestigious Youth and Junior Series title.
Junior athletes will have their best three scores recorded from across the four events in pursuit of the Junior Series title. While Youth athletes will remain Australia-bound, racing exclusively at Runaway Bay, Capital Trilogy and the Devonport Triathlon, with their three best scores counted on the Youth Series leaderboard.
Junior athletes will once again be in contention for the highly contested Athlete Bursary. Athletes (male and female) that place 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Junior series will receive $1500 (1st), 2nd ($750) and 3rd ($500) to contribute towards further competition opportunities overseas.
Ahead of Triathlon Mixed Relay making its Olympic debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Junior and Youth athletes will have their chance to try their hand at the exciting format throughout the Series. The Mixed Team Relay will make an appearance at this weekend’s Runaway Bay SSRW ahead of Canberra playing host to the Australian Junior and Youth Mixed Team Relay Championships.
The City of Gold Coast is proud to continue its support for the Triathlon Australia Junior and Youth Race Series, with the region continuing to boom as a hub for major triathlon events at all levels.
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