Queenslander Richelle Hill, daughter of Olympian Rina Hill, had the city of Wollongong pumping this evening as she produced an outstanding sprint finish to take out the U23 Women’s World Triathlon Championship Title in front of a roaring home crowd.
In an enthralling race from start to finish, both Hill and Aussie teammate Tara Sosinski were in the mix from the swim, as a large front pack developed early and continued through the seven-lap bike leg into the final four-lap 10km run around the hills of Wollongong and past the lighthouse.
With her mum Rina cheering her on from the sidelines, Hill timed her sprint finish to perfection as the last laps of the run saw three major lead changes and all sense of order fly out the window.
As the leaders turned the corner for the straight Hill took her chance and ripped past her rivals to drive through the tape to secure her first ever World Championship title.
“I was really switched on. I knew it came down to a mental thing because I was showing potential in my training. I knew I had to just remain calm, back myself and I really went in there to make a move for Australia,” a beaming Hill said.
“I didn’t know if I had the kick in me, but the crowd really carried me through to the finish. This is the biggest moment in my sporting career. It hasn’t sunk in really. I’m really proud of my performance. Even the bike, like the whole bike [leg] felt like I was really having to focus and make moves,” Hill said.
“I only had one really exceptional race in the standard distance with the World Series at the start of this year and then I’ve been out with injury. So I knew I was in good form and I knew I had some speed on me, but to bring it home, I wasn’t sure.”
“I wasn’t sure if I was just going to take fourth or third. I was like, am I just going to accept this or am I actually going to take charge? Make the move. As soon as the crowd went off at the last hundred metres, I was like, just kick, just give it all I have.”
“Mum is my biggest role model. She’s my coach and so amazing. I also have another coach, shout out to Alex Quirk. They work together really well.
Mum and coach Rina said it was the most amazing feeling watching her daughter execute her race so perfectly.
“We said to her, this course suits you. Once you’re in that front pack, just try and see if you can stay up near the front – stay out of trouble. She had certain points where she had to try and stay in front through the technical section. She did that perfectly.
“And then on the run, well the run, she really didn’t know how she was going to go with everybody else so she was obviously going to go out, be conservative, test everybody out, and then just see how she felt as she went through and just try and keep to a pace that she knows she can hold,” Rina said.
“Lucky, she knew how many laps she was doing, because a lot of us mis-counted. We had no idea. We came running in thinking she was on her last lap, we were going “go, go, go, go,” she laughed.
“But she knew. She knew exactly what she was doing. She timed everything down to perfection. We have been training for a sprint finish because a lot of the races do come down to that. So, you’ve got to be able to pick the pace up when you need to at the end, even though you’re feeling tired and you’re not feeling too comfortable in your rhythm, you’ve got to be able to just back yourself and go. And we’ve been doing a lot of work on that.”
Sitting alongside Hill in the front pack for most of the race was teammate and fellow Queenslander Tara Sosinski who was turning to the elite stage after a few months of injury concerns.
“It was amazing. We were just both getting cheers, the whole run. It was amazing. The atmosphere was crazy out there. I didn’t realise that many people knew my name.”
“ I guess with the race, I didn’t really know how the dynamic would play out. I thought we would get a breakaway on the bike, but that wasn’t meant to be. So, I just tried to stay really calm in the pack and try and hold my legs together for a good run. And I was pleased that I held on for like three of those laps, but those last two were a bit of a crawl home.”
“I feel like I’ve never really had the capability in the run to stay with that front pack. And it was really nice to have faith in my run and just back myself. It’s amazing to be back. Fortunately, I have another year of U23, so I can really attack that next year.”
Watch the full race replay on Kayo Sports and TriathlonLive.tv
Women’s U23 World Championships Final Results:
Richelle Hill – 1st
Tara Sosinski – 7th
