The South Australian triathlon community came together over the weekend to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of clubs, volunteers, coaches, technical officials, athletes and members to triathlon and multisport.
The Lakes Hotel in Adelaide played host to the 2024 SA Awards, with 16 winners crowned across 12 categories.
The Professional Athlete of the Year (Female) category saw Adelaide local Chloe Lane awarded the honour. As well as being the second Australian over the line at the 2023 Ironman World Championships in Hawaii, Lane achieved two top five finishes at Ironman Western Australia and Ironman Maryland over the awards period.
Experienced competitor Steven McKenna’s results spoke for themselves over the 2023-2024 season, earning him the Professional Athlete of the Year (Male) award. As well as winning the 2024 Ironman New Zealand event, McKenna also placed third, fourth and fifth at the Ironman 70.3 Melbourne, Ironman 70.3 Sunshine Coast and Ironman 70.3 Geelong respectively.
In addition to Professional Athlete of the Year (Male), Steven McKenna was also the recipient of the coveted Adam Johnson Award. Presented to the athlete who achieves the highest overall place on race day at Ironman Australia, Ironman Western Australia, or Ironman Cairns event over the awards period, McKenna received the award for his fourth place finish at the 2023 Ironman Western Australia event.
Anu Francis was awarded Para/Multiclass Athlete of the Year (Female) following a breakthrough year that saw her ascend the international podium on various occasions. In addition to other notable results, Francis won the 2024 World Triathlon Para Series Devonport, 2024 Oceania Triathlon Para Championships Stockton and 2023 World Triathlon Para Cup Paris.
The Para/Multiclass Athlete of the Year (Male) award was presented to Thomas Goodman who also saw himself finish atop the podium at the 2024 Oceania Triathlon Para Championships Stockton in addition to several other podium appearances over the 2023-24 season.
Member of Temp Systems Triathlon Club and one of South Australia’s State Team athletes, Jaylen Haines was named Athlete’s Athlete for his consistent support of other athletes on and off the course.
Following a major accident in 2018 which left her with life altering injuries, Keren Graham courageously returned to triathlons this season. She was awarded Most Inspiring Performance for her completion of her first Enticer distance with the support of her carer, Michelle, in February at Silver Sands where she received a crowd ovation as she approached the finish chute.
Colin Smith was awarded the Coach of the Year award for his tireless dedication and work, while Anne-Marie Wesley was awarded Technical Official of the Year for her work across a variety of events.
Verity Pietsch and Margherita McAuliffe were awarded the Volunteer of the Year award for their individual work at their local clubs. Junior Development Coordinator of Lakers Triathlon Club, Pietsch is credited with always going above and beyond to encourage new juniors to transition into triathlon, while amazing organiser and communicator Margherita, consistently and selflessly gives her time and skills to benefit the club.
The Club Initiative of the Year was awarded to the Lakers Tri50 program for their work supporting beginner and novice triathletes through a series of training sessions and activities across a 50-week period to get them prepared for their first start line.
The Sid James Victor Harbor Triathlon, run by Pushing Limits Events, was awarded Event of the Year. In addition to continually striving to improve the event and provide a positive experience for all, The Pushing Limits Events team was faced with extreme weather in the lead up to the event which led to some significant and challenging decisions. These decisions were made early and quickly and were communicated with clear reasoning and keeping athlete safety at the forefront.
Last but not least, the youth space saw Adelle Parkinson-Need awarded Youth/Junior Athlete of the Year (Female) and Jarred Lawrie awarded Youth/Junior Athlete of the Year (Male). After successfully graduating from Youth to Junior this season, Adelle Parkinson-Need was also awarded the Youth/Junior Most Improved (Female) award. Rylan Henke, who competed in Youth Draft Legal racing for the first time during the 2023-24 season, was awarded Youth/Junior Most Improved (Male).
2024 SA AWARD WINNERS
Professional Athlete of the Year – Chloe Lane and Steven McKenna
Para/Multiclass Athlete of the Year – Anu Francis and Thomas Goodman
Youth/Junior Athlete of the Year – Adelle Parkinson-Need and Jarred Lawrie
Youth/Junior Most Improved – Adelle Parkinson-Need & Rylan Henke
The Athlete’s Athlete – Jaylen Haines
Most Inspiring Performance – Keren Graham
Adam Johnson Award – Steven McKenna
Coach of the Year – Colin Smith
Technical Official of the Year – Anne-Marie Wesley
Volunteer of the Year – Verity Pietsch and Margherita McAuliffe
Event of the Year – Sid James Victor Harbor Triathlon
Club Initiative of the Year – Lakers Tri50
