Aspen Anderson and Jack Woodberry have dominated the domestic and continental triathlon scene over the past year.
Now, they are set to test their mettle against the best in the world at the World Triathlon Junior Championships in Torremolinos, Spain.
The pair, who reign as the current Oceania Triathlon Junior Sprint Champions, Australian Junior Sprint Champions, and Australian Junior Super Sprint Champions, lead a stellar team of six which includes Isla Watson, Grace Henry, Ty Davis and Bowen Bamford.
Anderson, a dual-gold medallist from the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games, enters the women’s race as one of the top contenders for the world title.
But despite the weight of expectations, she’s focused and ready to test herself on the international stage.
“I’m really keen to see where I stand with all the big hitters and the international athletes,” Anderson said.
“At a Pho3nix camp, we were told ‘pressure is privilege’ and that has stuck with me.
“There’s always going to be pressure. But there’s more pressure coming from myself than others around me. If I can do my best, I’ll be happy with that.”
At just 16, Woodberry will be the youngest athlete in the men’s race.
He never anticipated that his first year as a junior would lead him to the World Championships but is excited to gain experience and challenge himself against top-tier talent.
“I never could have imagined,” Woodberry said.
“It feels like a privilege, especially being a first-year junior, it feels like a privilege to be here and be amongst the best juniors in the world.
“I’m just hoping to gain experience racing at a higher level and seeing what I have to do to be competitive over the next few years.
“Racing at this level, everyone is still developing and everyone develops at different levels. I’m just enjoying the way that I develop and seeing where I go from here.”
Woodberry doesn’t have to look far for inspiration, with fellow Tasmanian and Olympian Jake Birtwhistle a guiding figure in his career.
The two have developed a close mentor-mentee relationship, with Woodberry regularly turning to the experienced elite for advice.
As he navigates his first World Championships, Woodberry called Birtwhistle, a silver medallist at the 2014 World Triathlon Junior Championships, for a chat.
His advice was simple.
“He told me to race hard and have fun,” Woodberry said.
“Jake has had a pretty big impact on my career so far.
“He’s always been someone to look up to in what I’ve done, especially being from Tassie.
“He is really helpful in the sense that he’s been here and understands what racing at this level is like.”
For both Anderson and Woodberry, the honour of representing Australia at their first World Championships cannot be overstated.
They follow a rich history of Australian triathletes who have kicked off their international careers at the World Triathlon Junior Championships, joining the likes of Matt Hauser, Jake Birtwhistle, Aaron Royle, Ashleigh Gentle, Emma Jackson, and Erin Densham, among so many others.
“It’s always an honour pulling on the green and gold.” Anderson said.
“To represent Australia is awesome, and to be among some of those legendary names is epic.” Anderson said.
“It’s incredible and it means a lot to me,” Woodberry said, reflecting on the significance of his debut.
“I’ve always dreamed of being at this level and representing Australia.”
You can catch all the action from the World Triathlon Junior Championships on TriathlonLive on Saturday, October 19, starting at 12:05 AM AEDT.
World Triathlon Junior Championships
Saturday, October 19 – 12:05am AEDT
TriathlonLive
Junior Women
Aspen Anderson
Isla Watson
Grace Henry
World Triathlon Junior Championships
Saturday, October 19 – 2:05am AEDT
TriathlonLive
Junior Men
Jack Woodberry
Ty Davis
Bowen Bamford