AusTriathlon is proud to announce Rohan Veal, from Bayside Multisport in Queensland, as the official Flag Bearer for the 2025 Australian Age Group T100 Triathlon Team.
Veal will lead a team of 14 Australians on the world stage at the inaugural 2025 World Triathlon Age Group T100 Triathlon World Championships in Lusail, Qatar.
Earning this milestone following his bronze medal at the 2025 World Triathlon Age Group Standard Distance Aquabike World Championships in Wollongong marked an inspiring return from serious injury. His sportsmanship was equally notable, loaning his spare bike shoes to a fellow competitor pre-race, an act that saved the athlete’s start.
For Veal, being named flag bearer carries deep meaning, both personally and professionally.
“I was lucky enough to stand on a World Championship podium for Australia a few times in a completely different sport,” Veal said.
“But I never had the opportunity to be the flag bearer, so this is a big honour of course, especially as this is the first T100 World Championships being held.”
Just months prior to his World Championship bronze, Veal faced one of the toughest periods of his athletic life, sustaining a fractured skull and torn rotator cuff in a cycling accident, injuries that temporarily halted his multisport career.
“I actually had a bad cycling accident late March, leaving me with a fractured skull and my right rotator cuff muscles ripped off the bone,” he said
“So I had to withdraw from the Multisport Worlds in Pontevedra in June 2025 and was told that I would not be swimming for 6 to 12 months.
“But I was really determined to make the start line in Wollongong, so after riding on the indoor bike for 66 days straight and then learning how to swim again, I really surprised my surgeon and physio with that result.
“I am now hoping that with a solid training block this month, I can get my fitness and shoulder mobility back to where it was before the accident and be a lot more confident to have a faster swim, then ride like there is no run and run like there is no tomorrow!”
Veal also reflected on the moment that captured the attention of athletes and fans alike in Wollongong, when he ran back to his car to retrieve spare cycling shoes for a stranded American competitor.
“I heard the announcement on race day that a competitor from the USA in the triathlon event left his bike shoes in his hotel about an hour away and did not have enough time to go back and get them,” Veal said.
“For some reason, at the last minute before heading down to the transition area, I decided to put my spare shoes in the car, which was only five minutes away, and I had enough time to help him out and repay a favour that was provided to me when I was racing in the USA at a World Championships many years ago.
“Luckily, my shoes fit him, but he had to buy some Look cleats to match his pedals and he was good to go.
“I never considered it to be good sportsmanship, but just happy to help, as it would have been extremely disappointing to come all this way and not race.”
AusTriathlon Age Group Teams National Manager, Alexandra Fehon, said Veal embodies the spirit of the Australian team.
“Rohan’s resilience, generosity and passion for competition make him an outstanding representative to lead our team into history at the inaugural T100 World Championships,” Fehon said.
“The Flag Bearer honour is reserved for athletes who reflect the very best of our sport and Rohan has demonstrated these qualities both on and off the race course, and he will carry the flag with pride for Australia.”
The 2025 World Triathlon Age Group T100 Triathlon World Championships will take place in Lusail, Qatar from 10-13 December 2025, featuring a 2km swim, 80km cycle and 18km run.
For more information on the event, click here
Image credit: North South
