Category: Latest News

Near perfect conditions greeted the 1100 strong field of participants at the SunSmart Busselton Festival of Triathlon over the weekend.

Saturday morning was host to the IRONMAN 70.3, a 1.9km swim, 90.1km cycle and 21.1km run with over 900 individuals and 130 teams taking on the challenge.

There was a buzz around the event site on Saturday morning, as the WA community embraced the opportunity to take part in what was the 20^th edition of the event in Busselton. The age group athletes made their way to the start line in front of the Goose Café to take on the 1.9km swim.

Alongside the IRONMAN 70.3 event was the Triathlon WA State Long Course Open Championships. This event across the same distance, provided an opportunity for professional and open athletes from Western Australia to be crowned State Open Long Course Champion. Professional Triathlete, Matt Burton (Oceanic Tri Club) and 2020 winner crossed the finish line in first place in a time of 3 hours 49 mins. Young WA talent, Nick Thompson (UWA Tri Club) and Jonney Sammut (UWA Tri Club) claimed their first podiums and showed the future of WA racing looks bright.

In the womens’s field Felicity Sheedy-Ryan took out another State Long Course Championships. The former World Duathlon Champion, said it was a tough day, but a fantastic opportunity to be back racing in WA.

Brett Johnson (Rockingham Tri Club) recorded the fastest time in the Age Group event (for the second year in a row) finishing in 4 hours. Fiona Whelan took out the women’s field in a time of 4:39.

The IRONMAN 70.3 was a qualification event for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Utah in September. 

The 20^th edition of the Busselton Festival of Triathlon was not possible without the support of the volunteers. 300 plus dedicated volunteers helped to delver the event for the athletes.

Triathlon WA wish to thank their sponsors and delivery partners for their continued support of the event. The City of Busselton, Heathway and Tourism WA have been major supporters for over 20 years and we look forward to continuing the deliver the Busselton Festival of Triathlon for many years to come.

STATE LONG COURSE CHAMPIONS

Age Group	Female State Champion	Male State Champion
20-24	Haylee Slater	Aidan Clark
	Team XTR Triathlon Club	Mandurah Triathlon Club
25-29	Elyse Lambert	Ben Stone
	Mandurah Triathlon Club	Oceanic Triathlon Club
30-34	Chantal Ivory	Alex Stuart
	Break Your Limits Triathlon Academy	Defence Force Triathlon Club (WA)
35-39	Alexandra Meek	Brett Johnson
	UWA Triathlon Club	Rockingham Triathlon Club
40-44	Eve O’Hare	Mark Oakshott
	Team XTR Triathlon Club
45-49	Fiona Hampton	Ryan Baugh
	North Coast Triathlon Club	Oceanic Triathlon Club
50-54	Katherine Ryan	Mathew Jennings
	Stadium Triathlon Club	Stadium Triathlon Club
55-59	Caroline Anderson	Tim Howley
	Break Your Limits Triathlon Academy	Fremantle Triathlon Club
60-64	Robyn Scott	Barry Silverlock
	North Coast Triathlon Club	North Coast Triathlon Club
65-69	Audrey Hull	George Funk
	EFS Triathlon Club	North Coast Triathlon Club
70-74	N/A	Doug Adams
		Stadium Triathlon Club
Open	Felicity Sheedy-Ryan	Matt Burton
	UWA Triathlon Club	Oceanic Triathlon Club
Paratriathlete	N/A	Nige Young
		Perth Triathlon Club

Sunday’s warm weather challenged the 447 athletes that lined up on the start line at the City of Joondalup Coastal Quest. With the event playing host to the Triathlon WA State Sprint Championships, 181 eligible members battled it out on course for the title of State Champion.

The event catered for a multitude of distances and disciplines, with a sprint distance, an enticer distance, a duathlon and a SunSmart Kids Triathlon along the Mullaloo beach foreshore. The event was also the final event in the Junior State Series.

The Open Sprint male athletes were the first Sprint wave off the beach. 2019 State Sprint Champion, Jonney Sammut (Exceed Tri Club/UWA Tri Club) headed up a strong male field including Nick Thompson (UWA Tri Club), Adam White (Exceed Tri Club), Matt Burton (Oceanic Tri Club), Guy Crawford (Fremantle Tri Club), Reece Harris (Mandurah Tri Club), Sam Mileham (Fremantle Tri Club), Zeke Tinley (Bunbury Tri Club), Tommaso Puccini (UWA Tri Club) and Kurt Wesley (North Coast Tri Club).

Sammut led the field all day, with the fastest swim of the day and a speedy T1 setting him ahead. Burton’s work on the bike saw him challenge for top spot but Sammut held his lead and ran away from the pack on the run. Thompson and Kurt stormed home on the run to secure second and third place respectively.

As the first male across the line, Sammut was also presented the Brynt McSwain Trophy. Sammut adds his name to the trophy for a consecutive year, amongst Western Australian athletes; Jesse Thyer, Oli Stenning, Ryan Bailie, Mike Lori and Luke Bate. Since 2014, the WA State Sprint Championships has carried the Brynt McSwain Trophy, awarded to the fastest Male athlete. Brynt was a Triathlon WA member and previous State Champion who tragically lost his life in 2014 when he was knocked from his bike commuting home from work. Thanks to Brynt’s mum, Snow, for carrying on his legacy in this sport and presenting the trophy each year.

Felicity Sheedy-Ryan (UWA Tri Club), two-time World Champion, headed up an exciting Open women’s field including Madison Toovey (North Coast Tri Club), Rhianna Hepburn (UWA Tri Club), Jessica Claxton (North Coast Tri Club), Brooke McCoy (Fremantle Tri Club) and Aleisha Wesley (North Coast Tri Club).

Wesley got off to a great start in the swim, leading the pack out of the water. Her strong start was backed up by a great ride seeing her still leading the pack off the bike. However, the glory was not to be hers with Sheedy-Ryan’s strength in the run proving too much. Sheedy-Ryan finished first almost one and a half minutes ahead of Wesley after heading out of T2 neck and neck. Toovey rounded out the podium for the women’s field with another solid performance, finishing a further minute behind.

The Senior age group athletes (20+) were also vying for State Championship Status. Jason Rhine of Exceed Tri Club (35-39) had the fastest age group time with an impressive 1:00:48, followed closely by Kieran Birch of Fremantle Tri Club (30-34) with 1:00:58.

Emma Moon of Phoenix Tri Club (35-39) finished with the fastest age group female time of the day. Ann Blatchford of North Coast Tri Club (70-74) celebrated her birthday in style, adding a State Sprint Championship and a photo on the podium with her granddaughters.

The Junior State Series saw the 16-19 year old’s tackle the Sprint event in exceptional form, with James Kjellgren-Lewis posting the fourth-fastest swim time of the day. Indie Arbuckle’s skills in transition and her overall strong performance saw her finish ahead of all senior age-groupers on course to take the win.

The 12-13 and 14-15 aged athletes had the enticer distance event as their junior points race. Josh Neervoort was, again, the fastest on course overall and the 14-15 years male winner. Eva Czislowski battled Bridie Crew right to the finish line to take the win by only 12 seconds. Will Cramsie was the 12-13 years male winner, joined on the top spot of the podium by Ava Henville for the girls.

Congratulations to all athletes who took part in the event. It was a great way to commemorate the memory of Brynt McSwain and close out the Junior State Series for the season. We hope to see the senior athletes at the next State Series race – X-Adventure Dunsborough.

STATE SPRINT CHAMPIONS

Age Group	Female State Champion	Male State Champion
20-24	Kelsey Todd Mandurah Tri Club	Aidan ClarkMandurah Tri Club
25-29	Sarah NisbetAlbany Triathlon Club	Agonstino ZurzoloUWA Triathlon Club
30-34	Rachael DoddsNorth Coast Tri Club	Kieran BirchFremantle Triathlon Club
35-39	Emma MoonPhoenix Triathlon Club	Jason RhineExceed Tri Club
40-44	Eve O’HareTeam XTR	Jason McNamaraTeam XTR
45-49	Kerri RenshawTeam XTR	Bart HollemansOceanic Triathlon Club
50-54	Katherine RyanStadium Triathlon Club	Matt McKayMandurah Tri Club
55-59	Caroline AndersonBreak Your Limits	Lucky Phil MonksNorth Coast Tri Club
60-64	Robyn ScottNorth Coast Tri Club	Alan HartleyNorth Coast Tri Club
65-69	Sandy TindaleNorth Coast Tri Club	George FunkNorth Coast Tri Club
70-74	Ann BlatchfordNorth Coast Tri Club	Doug AdamsStadium Triathlon Club
75-79	N/A	Dave ScottPerth Triathlon Club
Open	Felicity Sheedy-RyanUWA Triathlon Club	Jonathan SammutExceed Triathlon Club

STATE SERIES STANDINGS

*Please note, the Junior State Series Leader Board will not be updated following this event as it is the last event for the Series.

The winners will be announced at the Triathlon WA Annual Awards on 30 May.

This weekend will see the Triathlon WA (TWA) State Series kick off with the first of our five State Championships Races – the State Duathlon Championships presented by EXSS Events. With racing opportunities for everyone, the day has attracted athletes from as far as Esperance and will see athletes aged from 7 to 70+ participate in the run, bike, run format at Champion Lakes. The race is also a WQE for Triathlon Australia members.

The Open field is headlined by a number of 2019/20 State Champions, including both of the Triathletes of the Year (TOTY) – Nick Thompson (UWA Tri Club) and Madison Toovey (North Coast Tri Club). Thompson, last year’s State Duathlon Champion, will have to defend his title against a strong field including Guy Crawford (Fremantle Tri Club), Aaron Houghton (Fremantle Tri Club), Blake Kappler (North Coast Tri Club), Dale Zabiela (Bunbury Tri Club) and Jonny Sammut (Exceed Tri Club). Adam White (Exceed Tri Club) also lines up in the Open category in his return to racing post-injury. Luke Bate (UWA Tri Club), who has recently returned from training and racing on the east coast, will also be gunning for the Open State Duathlon Championship in what promises to be a great race. A late inclusion to the start list is Matt Smith (Fremantle Tri Club) who was the 2019 winner of the Kigali ATU Sprint Duathlon African Cup.

The women’s Open field sees veteran professional athlete Kate Bevilaqua (Fremantle Tri Club) amongst a group of upcoming athletes, Aleisha Wesley (North Coast Tri Club), Rachael Wales (Exceed Tri Club) and Rhianna Hepburn (UWA Tri Club). Defending Triathlete of the Year, Maddie Toovey will be looking to go one better at the duathlon this weekend, after placing second at the championship last year.

The Senior men’s competition will see some fierce competition between strong bike/runners including Bart Hollemans, Shayne Dimmer, Graeme Bamber and Greg Manning. The women’s field will also see some fast racing with past TOTY podium athletes Emma Moon, Rosie Farrell, Rebecca Lewis and Robyn Scott all toeing the start line.

Our Junior State Series also kicks off this weekend with our 12 – 19 age athletes looking to secure some early season points towards TOTY. With some of last year’s Junior winners moving age groups, we will see a number of our Development Program athletes going head to head on Sunday.  

The Paratriathlete category will also see a battle for top podium position between Perth Triathlon Club’s Nige Young and Bunbury Triathlon Club’s Dennis Devereaux.

Sunday will also be the first race in the new Interclub Series, which sees clubs compete for points in pursuit of the titles of Champion Club in their region and Overall Champion Club, as well as up to $750 in prizes for the club. For more information on the interclub series – click here.

The EXSS Events State Duathlon Champs start from 6:50 am on Sunday, 4 October at Champion Lakes. Entries close 11:59 pm Saturday, 3 October.

Firstly we would like to thank all our members and the wider triathlon community for doing their part over the last month to help flatten the curve in WA.  
As announced yesterday by the Premier of WA, restrictions to the two person gathering rule have been relaxed. Coming into effect Monday 27 April, based on expert health advice, the two person limit on non-work indoor and outdoor gatherings will be adjusted, with the limit rising to 10 people. Included on this list is;

• Exercise, including outdoor personal training without shared equipment

If clubs/coaches wish to recommence group training sessions, this MUST be conducted in line with all Government Guidelines including 1.5m social distancing. We urge clubs to consider the following additions to their training to account for the safety of all members:

• If members are unwell they should not attend training sessions
• At no time should the training session allow for more than 10 people (coach included)
• All members must be self-sufficient (water bottle, towel etc)
• Allow for extra space within the training area to ensure social distancing can be adhered too
• Group rides of up to 10 may occur but MUST adhere to the 1.5m social distancing rule.

Although these changes from the Government are small, they are welcomed by Triathlon WA and the community. Please remember if you are out exercising please do not risk the safety of yourself or others.

We have secured three locations for these seminars to take place. Please RSVP below the for location that best suits you.

Tuesday 25 Feb – AH Bracks Library, Melville
Wednesday 26 Feb – Star Physio West, Perth
Thursday 27 Feb – Craigie Leisure Centre, Craigie 

Please RSVP HERE to secure your ticket.

Star Physio will be presenting lectures in February to Triathlon WA members and will cover cutting edge information on how to maximise your results and minimise the risk of injury, including the latest in training tips and aero tricks on the bike from the latest international research. We guarantee there will be something to learn for everyone, amateur to professional!

Check out the bios of our team here https://starphysiowa.com.au/star-physios-expert-triathlon-team/, and if you haven’t seen us before, or want to know a bit more about how we can help you get the most out of your triathlons, have a look at some of our past lectures on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/PerthPhysio or go to our Website http://starphysiowa.com.au/  for lots more free information

Star Physio is proud to once again partner Triathlon WA in 2020.  Star Physio are experts in all things triathlon, from injury prevention and management to performance including our highly regarded professional bikefit service. Many of our physios are accomplished triathletes including previous WA State triathlon champions and Hawaii Ironman Competitors!

We work with all levels of athlete, from first timers to the best in the world and our staff includes PhD level physios, teachers and researchers in areas relevant to triathletes and endurance athletes.

DO YOU WANT TO PLAY A PART IN SHAPING THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF TRIATHLON WA?

We are currently seeking to appoint a Treasurer to the Triathlon WA Board. Nominees must be Triathlon WA Members with skills and expertise in the field of Financial Management and Accounting. The Treasurer position will also be appointed to the the Audit and Risk Sub-Committee. 

Triathlon WA supports the WA Government’s policy on gender diversity and encourages female applications to apply. 

This position will play a vital part, alongside the board, in driving the future direction of Triathlon WA. If you are interested in putting forward an expression of interest, please submit a short biography outlining your skills and experience in the field of Financial Management or Accounting (maximum of 300 words) to the Executive Director, Ashleigh Apps, via email: ashleigh.apps@wa.triathlon.org.au or post to Beatty Park Leisure Centre, 220 Vincent Street, North Perth, 6006 by Close of Business, Tuesday 26 November 2019. 

To find out more information please click here

The 2019 State Sprint Championships were decided this morning at the Australia Day Triathlon at Point Walter.  Over 600 competitors were greeted with beautiful mild conditions as they commenced the day’s celebrations with a plunge in the Swan River and a ride and run over the undulating course. 

Athletes in the State Sprint Championships took off in the swim into a strong easterly wind and strong current, as the rising sun made spotting difficult, resulting in a challenging swim.  In the Men’s field, Luke Bate was first out of the water, with Liam McCoach and Adam White hot on his heals.  After a quick sprint up the hill to transition, Bates quickly put some distance on McCoach and White on the bike. Matt Burton came powering through from the back of the field, “like a steam train” according to Bates, to overtake Bates by the second lap in the bike and recorded the fastest bike leg of the day. Bates was able to reel Burton in on the run, pulling away towards the finish and taking the title and the Brynt McSwain Trophy in 1:00:35.  Burton took out second less than 20 seconds behind and McCoach was third, followed by Alec Davison and Paul Mackay.

In the Women’s field Liv Smith had a strong swim to come out almost 30 seconds ahead of youngsters Charlotte Thompson and Rhianna Hepburn.  As they headed out on the bike, Norwegian visitor Solveig Natvig Loevseth, gradually closed in on Smith as she powered up the hills.  Solveig and Smith were neck and neck as they headed out onto the run but the Norwegian Champion pulled away in the 5km run to take the tape in 1:08:54.  Smith takes the State title, as first Triathlon WA member across the line in 1:10:34 followed by Rhianna Hepburn, Charlotte Thompson, Madison Toovey and Renee Baker coming in fifth in her come back race.

Congratulations to everyone who competed today.  A big thank you to all the volunteers and Technical Crew and Steve Doyle and the crew at Sports Performance Management for a great event.

See below for the State Sprint Championship Age Group Results.  For the full race results click here.

FEMALE	RESULTS	MALE	RESULTS
14-15	Indie Arbuckle Victoria Fourie	14-15	David Smith Tommaso Puccini Daniel Buis
16-19	Clancy Quick Darcy Mason Grace Lenaghan	16-19	Jesse Evans  Ronan Hays Joel Keeble
20-24	Elyse Rowe Rebecca Kierath Caitlin Richards	20-24	James Allen Nathaniel Wells Aidan Clark
25-29	Rachael Dodds Anita Strauks Rebecca Archibald	25-29	Josh WozniukJames O’Neill Robert Shepherd
30-34	Emma Moon Alexandra Meek Michelle Carranza	30-34	James Martin Nelson Smith  Sjoerd Algera
35-39	Christina Ladyman Rosie Farrell Rebecca Lewis	35-39	Rob Shannon Gareth Humphreys Russell Boulton
40-44	Alison Thompson Kate Boulton Henrietta Farrell	40-44	Brad Frost Javier Blocki Robert Creasy
45-49	Jenny Sulivan Mel Chamberlain Christina Richards	45-49	Arron Robertson Allan Holmes Bart Hollemans
50-54	Caroline Anderson Lisa Hitchcock Pip Laufmann	50-54	Matt McKay Ross Pedlow Lee Jackson
55-59	Janet Ferguson Jane Davis Roz Reynolds	55-59	Gary Hardman Andrew Johns Darryl Harris
60-64	Kim Tyler Audrey Hull Jan Eccles	60-64	Greg Salter Barry Silverlock Richard Burnell
65-59	Jenny Owen	65-69	John Wilkinson David Whitely Geoff Grose
70-74	Ann Blatchford	70-74	Ron Richards Robert Scott Ivan Clare
Para	Kylie Black
Open	Liv Smith Rhianna Hepburn Charlotte Thompson Madison Toovey Renee Baker	Open	Luke Bate Matt Burton Liam McCoach Alec Davison Paul McKay