In the first elite race of the Championships, the Men’s U23 race saw the Australian men battle not only their rivals but also the intensity of the sun and heat in the middle of the day with Brayden Mercer finishing in 12th, Toby Powers 37th, Rory Thornhill 40th and Logan Campbell 42nd.
Mercer sat within the chase pack for much of the race behind Britain’s Oliver Conway who surged to a breakaway early and finished 90 seconds ahead of his peers. “It was a really hard course on a warm day. Obviously the crowd got me through today. I’m happy for my first World Champs that I really fought to the end and that’s all I can ask for. I left my all out on the course and it’s still not a bad result – it was a solid race in the end. Good job to the boys on the podium,” Mercer said.
“I think just the heat and the hard course just played into a tough race. It was just survival out there and that’s sometimes how it is out there. I’m really proud of myself for pushing through.”
“I’ve got a lot more years in this sport and I’ve learnt a lot from this lesson and this race. I aim to bring that into next season’s racing and keep building on experience and keep growing as an athlete. The crowd was awesome and a home World Championships doesn’t come around too often and I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
The rest of the Aussie men – Toby Powers, Rory Thornhill and Logan Campbell – were gallant in their efforts in front of the home crowd for their World Championships debut.
“I had a game plan of wherever I came out of the swim, I was just going for it. It was my last race of the season and I just wanted to hit it as hard as I could,” Powers said.
“I gave that everything I had, that’s all I wanted to do. Go as hard as I can, try and make the Aussies proud and I hope I did.”
It was a test of grit for Rory Thornhill but said there was nothing like racing in front of home fans.
“I saw friends, I saw family, old training partners, old coaches – it’s a special day. The result wasn’t there but it will go down as one of my best races I’ll ever do in my career. It’s a stepping stone for me – first in the green and gold and I’m looking forward to what’s to come,” he said.
Watch the full race replay on Kayo Sports and TriathlonLive.tv
Men’s U23 World Championships Final Results:
Brayden Mercer – 12th
Toby Powers – 37th
Rory Thornhill – 40th
Logan Campbell – 42nd
