Day 1 of racing officially kicked off at the 2026 World Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra with the Aussie juniors showing plenty of grit and determination out on the course.
Meanwhile in only her second triathlon outing, Aspire Academy athlete, Piper Anderson (younger sister of Aspen) showed plenty of kick, proving she has what it takes to mix it with some of the best young talent coming through the pathway. Putting her cross-country running strength to work, Anderson stormed home to finish 13th on debut.
“It means a lot to finish 13th in the World on debut, even though it’s an unlucky number I think any number is good if it’s close to the top 10. I’m very happy with the result,” Anderson said.
It was heartbreak for teammate, Addison Houslip who unfortunately was forced to withdraw after the swim due to injury.
Over in the Junior Men’s Jack Woodberry put his best foot forward, leading the pack at one stage during the race credit to his strength on the bike. He eventually finished 15th overall in what was a display of intensity and determination.
“It means everything to me, representing your country is such a big achievement, especially coming from Tassie, I have a lot of people to make proud, and I feel like I did that today,” Woodberry said.
On debut, fellow Aussie youngster Kyle Mason finished 37th overall while Queenslander Zahn Spies came in 42nd. We now look ahead to Day 2 of action in Pontevedra with the U23 and Para teams set to take centre stage from 6pm AEST tonight.
Results:
Hannah Pollock – 9th
Piper Anderson – 13th
Addison Houslip – DNF
Jack Woodberry – 15th
Kyle Mason – 37th
Zahn Spies – 42nd
