Rising stars set sights on Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships

For Australia’s brightest rising stars, this weekend’s Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships in Napier is about more than showing they’re the best junior athlete on the continent; it’s an opportunity to all but guarantee their spot on the grandest international stage.

A win in Napier would pave the way to representing Australia at the World Triathlon Junior Championships in Malaga later this year.

This weekend’s Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships play a pivotal role in the selection process for the Australian team.

To automatically qualify for the Long List, athletes must attain a top-five finish, with only the first three eligible athletes will be granted automatic qualification. If Australia can secure three athletes in the top five, they’ll be rewarded with the maximum quota for Malaga.

Once on the Long List, athletes become eligible for potential selection onto the national team.

And with the selection process prioritising the overall winners of this weekend’s race, victory in Napier would essentially secure a coveted spot on the Australian team for this year’s World Triathlon Junior Championships.

In a line-up featuring some of the nation’s next generation of triathlon stars, several standouts emerge.

Tasmanian duo, Jack Latham, a dual Commonwealth Youth Games medallist, and Jack Woodberry, the 2023 Australian Junior Super Sprint Champion, are poised to make an impact in the junior men’s race.

Victorian Oscar Wootton, also a representative at the Commonwealth Youth Games, and New South Wales’ Mitchell Blackbourn, a 2023 Junior World Championships representative, contribute to the competitive line-up.

While fellow New South Welshmen Joel Offord and Billy Zavetsanos, both recently categorised by AusTriathlon, add to the stacked field.

In the junior women’s field, Aspen Anderson, a dual Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist and the reigning 2023 Australian Junior Super Sprint Champion, is set to compete in her first Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships.

Joining her is fellow Queenslander and Commonwealth Youth Games representative Hannah Pollock.

New South Wales’ Alexandra Field, who also earned her stripes as representatives at the 2023 Junior World Championships, also takes the start line.

The competition continues with the Oceania Triathlon Junior Mixed Relay Championships the next day.

In addition to the Oceania Triathlon Junior and Mixed Relay Championships, Napier will also host a World Triathlon Cup and a World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series race.

The juniors will mirror the elites with their individual races on the Saturday, over the sprint distance of 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run, and the relay on the Sunday.

Full details on Junior World Championships Selection are available here.

Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships Napier – Junior Men
Saturday 24 February – 12:30PM AEDT

Joshua Neervoort
Joshua Fletcher
Ivan Nagel
Mitchell Blackbourn
Hayden Small
Billy Zavetsanos
Harry Smith
Jacob Mckie
Rhys Olson-Keating
Oliver Moxon
Cooper Carswell
Wade Barr
Oscar Wootton
Jack Latham
Christopher Rudd
Bowen Bamford
Ethan Mackie
Joel Offord
Jack Woodberry
Oliver Anthony
Ty Davis
Joel Humphrey

Full Start List