In a weekend when many WA high profile teams missed the mark, a group of junior WA triathletes stood tall, taking out gold in all 4 age categories in Race 2 of the Australian Junior & Youth Series at the Glenelg Triathlon on Saturday.
The day started with the Youth Male (aged 14-15) where Daniel Kempson from Leeming led from the start to take his first National Series win for the season.
Next off the start line was the Youth Females, where Taylor Kroyer (Break Your Limits Triathlon Club) continued her outstanding form, taking her second win for the series, pulling away on the final lap of the run.
In the Juniors (16-19 years), Luke Bate (University of WA Triathlon Club) dominated a strong field, controlling the front group on the bike and running away from the field on the run to take his first win of the series.
In the junior women, Jessica Claxton (Break Your Limits Triathlon Club) was the first Australian finisher, just behind Hannah Knighton from New Zealand, who is ranked 5th in the International Triathlon Union Junior rankings. Jessica extended her lead in the national series, following her win in Race 1 at Runaway Bay, Queensland.
Following the individual races, there were mixed team relays on the Sunday, where these athletes teamed up with others from the WA squad, to take out silver in the Juniors and Bronze in the Youth.
Focus for these young triathletes now switches to Perth for the City of Armadale Way Out West Triathlon on the 3 & 4 March which is Race 3 of the Australian Junior Series.
The Australian Youth & Junior Series is the national competition for junior elite triathletes aged 14-19. Triathletes compete across a 4-race series across Australia, with the points accrued over the 4 races and the overall winner being crowned the national champion.
Full Results:
Youth A Males
1 – Daniel Kempson
8 – Cooper Foxcroft
26 – Harvey Williams
30 – Ethan Duffy
Youth A Females
1- Taylor Kroyer
19 – Zoe Davison
Junior Males
1- Luke Bate
12 – Alec Davison
13 – Elliot Roberts
15 – Zeke Tinley
17 – Duncan Jones
20 – Aaron Houghton
25 – Adam White
Junior Females
2 – Jessica Claxton
13 – Aleisha Wesley
15 – Brooke McCoy
30 – Abby Ouwendyk
Elite/U23 Males
8 – Jonny Sammut
17 – Liam McCoach
33 – Sam Mileham