Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and Monash University (MON) have been crowned the 2023 UniSport Nationals Triathlon champions after stellar performances by their respective men’s and women’s triathletes over the weekend.
Over 60 students from 17 Australian universities competed in the 2XU Triathlon Series: Race 6 on 26 March at St Kilda, Victoria. QUT had the highest representation with 10 student-athletes followed by The University of Melbourne (MELB) with eight. Commendable performances from the seven QUT student-athletes led them to a landslide victory against the rest of the field in the men’s competition. The MON women were a formidable force claiming champion status over QUT’s experienced female contingent to top the point score for the women’s competition.
Tom Fisher, Sport Programs and Teams Coordinator from QUT, was delighted to hear of the team’s success over the weekend.
“This was the first time a QUT Triathlon team have travelled interstate to represent the University. To come back to Queensland with a 1st and 2nd place is a great credit to dedication and hard work these student athletes showcased. Triathlon at QUT continues to grow and we hope to use this result as a foundation for more great things,” said Tom.
This year saw the inclusion of an additional category to the UniSport Nationals Triathlon; Olympic (Standard) Draft Legal. Drafting is the act of riding behind another cyclist to reduce air drag. This allows the drafter to maintain the same speed with less energy expenditure. This is key in elite level racing which a large contingent of university student-athletes participate in as an attempt to qualify for the ITU World Championship races.
MELB student, Darcy Williams clinched first place in the men’s Olympic (Draft Legal) race beating Mitchell Westhuizen (The Australian National University) and Harvey Lanigan (RMIT University) by less than a minute. Meanwhile, Laura Gillard (Charles Sturt University) raced brilliantly against rival Paige Cranage (Flinders University) to claim the top spot in the women’s Olympic (Draft Legal) race by 40 seconds. UniSport Nationals achievements aside, these five athletes are commended for their efforts as they also podiumed in their respective 2XU Triathlon Series race category.
In the Olympic (Non-Draft Legal) race, young gun Ciara Losty (MON) cruised home to take the gold medal over triathlon veteran Georgie Hicks (University of Tasmania) in the women’s race. In the men’s, Misha Allinson (MELB) won gold by a whopping three minutes against his field making full use of the home state advantage.
Monash University’s Senior Programs Team Leader, Matthew Sheldon Collins was ecstatic to hear of the student-athlete’s success.
“Monash University is thrilled to win one of two pennants first available for the year and are looking forward to a robust year of UniSport events,” said Matthew.
Kirsty Beattie (The Australian National University) proved a force to be reckoned with as she claimed the top spot for the second year in a row in the women’s Sprint race. Zane Galea (University of Technology Sydney), Nicholas Rossi (University of Wollongong), and Aaron Kiss (The University of Sydney) took home gold, silver, and bronze medals in the men’s Sprint race, to round out a successful finish for the New South Wales universities.
CEO of UniSport Australia, Mark Sinderberry, said:
"Following a successful return to a full calendar of Nationals events in 2022, we are delighted to kick off the year with the Nationals Triathlon Championships taking place in Victoria for the first time ever as part of the 2XU Triathlon Series: Race 6 in St Kilda, Victoria. Over the last three years we’ve consistently seen incredible performances from student-athletes with this year being no exception with no less than five students gaining medal positions in the overall event for their respective categories. Notable mentions must be made to those that podiumed in the Elite Racing category which doubled as the ITU World Championships Qualifying Race. Congratulations to everyone that competed." said Mark.
To see the full results from Nationals Triathlon, click here.
The 2023 UniSport Nationals series continues with 3x3 Basketball and Athletics championships taking place in April.
For more information please contact:
Dylan Le
Nationals Event Coordinator
07 5699 8281
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