New South Wales’ Jack Caldwell is eager to add another title to his name at this Sunday’s Australian Sprint Championships in Elwood.
The 18-year-old burst onto the scene with a spectacular win at last month’s Australian Junior Super Sprint Championships, and is now setting his sights on another strong performance as he builds towards the Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships in Devonport next month.
The Australian Sprint Championships, hosted by the 2XU Triathlon Series, will see elite and junior athletes racing together, with titles awarded in each category.
“I’m really determined to add that junior national champion title to my name,” Caldwell said.
“I have a specific race plan that I am just hoping to execute well to build confidence and work on my racing tactics leading into Devonport.
“I think it’s a very important race to gain more racing experience, especially against the elite boys. You can only hide in the junior field for so long until you have to face the music so I’m really excited to see how I go mixing it with some of the older boys.”
After a challenging 2024 plagued by soft tissue injuries, Caldwell has wasted no time making up for lost opportunities.
He says the challenges of the have been a learning experience, with the setbacks shaping a more professional and focused approach to racing.
“Once I got on top of the injuries, I was able to get consistent training in which has put me in a really strong position to take on this season,” Caldwell said.
“They weren’t complete showstopper injuries, they were just enough to make me have to pull back a bit and not be able to race.
“I learnt a lot about my body last year and how important it is to do my strength work so my body can handle all the training load that I am doing. I also became more aware of how important it was to recover properly after sessions and that is something that I take very seriously now and has kept me going well.
“This season I have probably been more professional about my approach to racing and taking it more seriously, I’m just enjoying racing well.”
Caldwell will be joined in the junior men’s field by Australian Junior Super Sprint Championship bronze medallist, Oscar Wooton as well as Wade Barr – a former Australian Junior Super Sprint Champion himself.
The elite men’s field will be headlined by the Schofield twins, Luke and Jayden, who kicked off their seasons with strong performances at last weekend’s World Triathlon Cup opener in Napier.
They’ll be joined by a deep pool of local-Victorian talent, including Ty Davis, who represented Australia at last year’s World Triathlon Junior Championships, as well as experienced IRONMAN athletes David Fawkes and Levi Hauwert.
Chloe Bateup, an Asia Triathlon Cup medallist, leads the elite women’s field, while the junior women’s division boasts a stacked line-up.
Among the rising stars is dual Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist Aspen Anderson, fresh off her World Triathlon Cup debut in Napier and a record-equalling third Australian Junior Super Sprint title last month.
She’ll be joined by Australian Junior Super Sprint Championship silver medallist Hannah Pollock, 2024 World Triathlon Junior Championship representative Grace Henry, and VIS Talent Transfer athletes Claire Spicknall and Kiara Mooney, all eager to make their mark.
To learn more about the Australian Championships, click here.
To learn more about the 2XU Triathlon Series, click here.
