As the sun rose over Rockingham Foreshore on Sunday 5 February 2023, more than 600 athletes were getting ready to compete in the Rockingham Foreshore Triathlon; a State Series event and the State Sprint Championship for the 2022/23 season.
A light spatter of rain and some sea breeze kept things cool for pack pickup and bike racking but the misty morning weather didn’t last long, with blue skies and sunshine setting the tone for a fantastic day of racing.
Races held on the day include the Scody Draft Legal Sprint, Fremantle Ports Sprint, Fremantle Ports Enticer and SunSmart Kids Triathlon.
Scody Draft Legal Sprint
Rockingham locals and event spectators alike were treated to an exhilarating and fast-paced Sprint race (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) featuring the crème de la crème of WA triathlon. People lined the course to cheer the 16-19 Juniors and Open athletes on, with some spectators even watching the cycle from balconies above the street!
Afternoon sun beat down on the sand and asphalt as our Draft Legal athletes zoomed around the course, giving 110% in the afternoon heat.
The Open Male field was extremely strong, and featured some of WA’s fastest and best male triathletes. In a nail biting sprint to the finish, returning Champion Zeke Tinley (Bunbury) claimed the crown for a second time, crossing the line in a sub-1 hour time of 00:59:14.69 – a second ahead of second place winner Kurt Wesley (North Coast, 00:59:15.34)! The two were neck and neck the entire race, both putting on extremely strong performances throughout the swim, bike and run. Fremantle athlete James Kjellgren-Lewis (01:00:48.60) was less than a minute behind Wesley to claim third, proving he can well and truly hold his own in the Open field.
Guy Crawford (Fremantle), Paul McKay (ADF), Reece Harris (Mandurah), Shayne Dimmer (Rockingham) and Rowan Kerr (XTR) rounded out the finishers, with James Martin (Mandurah) and Sam Mileham (Fremantle) unfortunately receiving a DSQ.
In the Open Female field UWA athlete Sian Munks completed the race in a time of just 01:05:40.91 – running through the finish tape to claim the title of 2022/23 State Sprint Champion! Current TOTY Champion Aleisha Wesley (North Coast) was just three seconds behind Munks to claim second (01:05:43.49), followed by Rhianna Hepburn (UWA) in third place with a time of 01:09:36.33.
Madison Toovey (North Coast), Herlene Yu (Fremantle) and Regine Goh (UWA) finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place respectively.
Our 16-19 Juniors also put on a phenomenal show, more than keeping up with the older athletes. In the 16-19 Male category Bunbury young-gun Christophe Gardner took home the State Title crossing the line in a blistering 01:02:12.72. Ivan Nagel (EFS) was just 2 seconds behind in second, and Joshua Fletcher (Exceed) another two seconds behind in third. The 16-19 Female field, although small, was still extremely competitive. North Coast Tri club teammates Erin Driscoll and Bridie Crew finished just 5 seconds apart to claim first and second place.
Fremantle Ports Sprint
Our Age Group athletes shone in the Fremantle Ports Sprint, taking on the challenge of a 750m swim, 18km cycle, and 5km run along the stunning Rockingham Foreshore.
James Lewin (Stadium), Brett Johnson (Perth), Joao Carlos Bernardes Neto (non-club), Mark Oakshott (non-club), Rhys Williams (North Coast) and Andrew Malatios (North Coast) all completed the course in less than 1 hour – an absolutely stellar achievement!
It was a fierce competition in the 20-24 Male field too, with the top three, Michael Orton (01:00:41, Fremantle), Jaxon Bilchuris (01:01:07, North Coast) and Chad McKay (01:02:14, Mandurah), all crossing the finish line within a consecutive minute of one another. An excellent race!
The 45-49 Female top three, Alison Thompson (Exceed), Kate Atkinson (Stadium) and Andrea Hopkin (Fremantle), also finished within consecutive minutes of each other.
In the 60-64 Male category, top two Darryl Harris (Mandurah) and Barry Silverlock (North Coast) finished less than 30 seconds apart! It was an awesome display of racing talent and passion for the sport across the board.
View the full results here.
Fremantle Ports Enticer
This distance was a State Series race for our 12-13 and 14-15 Juniors, plus a fantastic event for beginners of all ages.
In the 12-13 Male field, North Coast junior Luke Williams absolutely smashed it – beating second place Cooper Smeulders (Fremantle) to the finish line by nearly three minutes. EFS junior Brodie Wilkinson placed third, less than a minute behind Smeulders.
Fremantle juniors Ava Rodgers and Isabella Neervoort raced hard for first place in the 12-13 Female field with Rodgers getting the lead on the final stretch, crossing the line just seconds ahead of Neervoort. Lily Suckling (non-club) placed third.
The 14-15 Male field was equally competitive with Connor Fraser (Bunbury), Will Cramsie (North Coast) and Thor Sultana (North Coast) all crossing the line within a minute of one another to claim first, second and third spot respectively.
Ava Henville (Exceed) took out the top spot for the 14-15 Females, followed by Rebecca Puccini (UWA) in second and Megan McPherson (North Coast) in third. Fantastic results!
View the full results here.
With thanks to our Event Sponsors:
- City of Rockingham
- Fremantle Ports
- Tourism Rockingham
- Scody Australia
- Quest Apartment Hotel Rockingham
- The Beach Rock IGA, and
- Keep on Running
Thank you also to our Expo Retailers:
