This weekend the Triathlon Victoria Development Program will be heading to Champion Lakes, Perth for Race 3 of the Australian Junior Triathlon Series.  This incorporates youth, junior and U23’s racing in Enduro-sprint distance format where athletes will qualify for the ‘A’ or ‘B’ final on the Saturday and then race again that day for a National title.  Sunday will then see all athlete’s backup for mixed team relays.

After a successful Glenelg race where 3 medals were gained, 2 individuals and 1 relay team, the focus will be to try and match that again.  This is the National championship race for youth and juniors.  With school being back and holidays over, this race usually has a smaller field, but of a very high quality and standard.  It is made up of all the top athletes through the divisions and with double points and a National title at stake, it will be hotly contested.

Last year Champion Lakes was incredibly hot and thankfully this year the conditions are looking not quite as extreme.  Although the course is very open and has little protection from the elements. Some of our athletes did race here last year and that experience will be invaluable in coping with the demands of this race weekend.

Our relay teams are looking strong again and this is a continued focus for the program.  We aim to build some momentum and consistency in this area.  We expect to be competitive in the divisions that we have representation placed.  This race and New Zealand in 3 weeks is the major focus of our top junior athletes and is where the reward for the hours of training hopefully will come together.

TVDP will also have a large showing of our athletes at the State school championships over the weekend.  A lot of these athletes have made the Schools Sport Victoria team and will be looking to continue their build up to Penrith in late April.  Whilst others will be there to simply have the enjoyment of racing with their school friends and peers.

All up, a busy weekend for our Junior State Program with lots of opportunity to race and enjoy the great sport that is triathlon.

Kyle Burns

Athlete Pathway Coordinator, Triathlon Victoria Development Program

Australian Youth, Junior and Under 23 Triathlon Series - Glenelg

This week the Triathlon Victoria Development Squad will be heading to Glenelg for Race 2 of the Australian Junior Triathlon Series.  This incorporates Youth, Junior, and U23’s racing in Sprint distance format on the Saturday and backing up again on the Sunday for the Australian Championship for Mixed Team Relays.

The squad’s results at Runaway Bay, Queensland before Christmas were a lot more consistent than the previous year and even though we had many athletes move up in category, the results were a move in the right direction on and off the track with several athletes finishing in the top 10.

Glenelg sees a return to a more traditional format on a fast and exciting course with an ocean swim, fast bike leg on a looped course andthen a fast, flat run to finish.  Against normal tradition for junior racing, there is also two transition areas which once again will see young athletes needing to adapt to a new experience intheir race plans. 

In the past week, the squad took part in a 3-day camp at Mt Eliza to sharpen skills after the Christmas break leading into this race.  They were mentored by elite athletes in Marcel Walkington and Tasym Mona-Vale as well as state performance coaches who gave insight into preparation and execution of racing under extreme pressure.  The weather was very close to what we are expecting in Glenelg so a quality rehearsal for all that attended.

The TVDP group is growing as a whole so I will not single out individual athletes but we have several juniors that are growing in belief andexperience.  To see them have a good result and grow in confidence will show in the results come the weekend.

Once again, the state will be well represented with a good spread of athletes across all categories. Twenty juniors will be making the trip across for Team Vic with three coaches assisting.  This race will alsobe the first Continental race for the season and Victoria is well represented in this division with four Victorian males and two females battling it out against international competition from New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, Brazil and Israel. 

Victoria has a fairly young group of athletes this year with a large number being bottom age of their respective categories.  The wiliness of this group to develop and execute their race plans to the best of their ability is evident.  There is a strong culture developing around the group and the team has been asked to take on the guiding phrases of ‘intent’ and ‘ownership’ in their triathlon life. 

A strong and consistent result in Glenelg will build on our strong start to the season and a continued forward development by the team.  With Western Australia and New Zealand still to come, the athletes are now in a very important phase of the year, with tough racing against quality athletes yet to come.   

Kyle Burns

Athlete Pathway Coordinator

Triathlon Victoria Development Program