Oklahoma, United States
24 September 2016
37 Australian Age Group athletes will be competing at the 2016 Oklahoma ITU Long Distance World Triathlon Championships in the USA, on Saturday 24th September. Athletes will be racing over a 4km swim, 120km cycle and 30km run. The Elite men and women will kick off racing with a 7:28am start, followed by the Age Group waves from 7:35am (10:35pm AEST).
The World Champs Distance is quite a step up from the Australian Championships held at Goondiwindi’s Hell of the West in January 2016 but our Aussie athletes are ready for the challenge.
The course
The swim takes place at Lake Hefner in Northwest Oklahoma City. The bike course takes athletes out into the warm and humid air of the Oklahoma countryside. The course is a series of mildly undulating hills with the greatest challenge being the strong country winds. The run course is staged on the flat and fast closed course of Lake Hefner and gives the athletes plenty of time to size up the competition.
Elites
Queensland elites Sam Betten and Josh Amberger will race in the green and gold in pursuit of a World Champion crown. Sam Betten finished 9th at the 2015 Motala ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in the Elite Men with a time of 05:03:33 and fellow Queenslander Joshua Amberger finished 18th in 05:20:55.
Age Group
Tyler Allan, 2015 Motala ITU Long Distance World Champion 18-19AG and Australia’s youngest team member, will be racing to defend his title in Oklahoma City. Tyler finished the 2015 Motala, Sweden Long Distance course in 06:00:13.
Queensland duo Marion and Phillip Hermitage had a decorated season in 2015-16, both Nissan State Series Age Group Champions and current Australian Long Distance Champions. Marion Hermitage is a strong contender after the winning Gold in the 2014 Weihai ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships (50-54 AG) finishing in 06:52:20. Marion was also the Overall Champion and Female Age Group Triathlete of the Year in Queensland’s 2015-16 Nissan State Series.
Current Australian Champions Jessy Grant and Jodie Brighton are both competing in their first World Championships.
Good luck to all our Queensland Age Group athletes at the 2016 Oklahoma ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships:
MEN
Dwayne McKay 35-39
Jason Black 45-49
Jessy Grant 18-19
Jimmy Barrett 35-39
John Nelson 35-39
Kephren Izzard 35-39
Luke Johnston 35-39
Michael Riggall 50-54
Nathan Johnston 35-39
Phillip Hermitage 60-64
Toby Carrigan 25-29
Tony Mills 40-44
Troy Austin 35-39
Tyler Allan 20-24
WOMEN
Courtney Potts 20-24
Rebecca Ungermann 25-29
Jodie Brighton 30-34
Philadelphia Holmes 30-34
Teresa Soden 40-44
Sherry Ey 45-49
Marion Hermitage 50-54
Sue Phillips 50-54
