It was a blistering day at Devonport with Addison Houslip and Zahn Spies securing the top podium in the Oceania Junior Championships down in Devonport.
Houslip set the course alight to take home the Oceania Junior Women’s Championship title while her fellow countrywomen in Piper Anderson and Hannah Pollock finished second and third respectively.
“Coming from south-east Queensland I struggled with the cold and I had to combat that but I put together a solid race and it was nice to comeback and race in Devonport. It’s just a lovely place to race, the hill and the dynamic and strategies. Super grateful to get back out here,” Houslip said.
“I was back out here for my first Oceania Champs in 2025 and back here again so this is my third time racing
“Devonport has some pretty big names come through here and these people have gone off to do some really incredible things and I’m hoping to follow in their path and do some pretty cool things as well.
It was a tough tussle in Oceania Junior Men’s with last year’s runner up, Spies producing the goods to secure gold. His impressive run, put him in goodstead, clocking 5km in just 15-minute.
“It was great, it was a real runners race. It was a tactical bike and it was so exciting. Coming off the bike, I think we were all really fresh and had the adrenalin pumping and it was just whoever could run the fastest,” Spies said.
“Moving more to a professional level in the sport and putting so much more time and effort into the sport now than I did last year it’s allowed me to focus on a lot more different areas and develop myself a lot more as an athlete. But it also means it feels like I put a lot more into the race and with that comes a little bit more emotion and more passion for the sport.
“I’m so lucky to be able to pursue this and all the support I get, thanks mum and dad and coaches. It makes it mean so much more, so to get a win, so I got a little bit emotional. It means the world, it’s great.”
All the results from today’s Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships can be viewed here.
