Federation

Contact Information

Address
Unit 2C, Hayes St
Alexandria
NSW
1435
Australia

President
David Ferrier

Secretary General
Anne Gripper

Website
http://www.triathlon.org.au//

Phone
+61283326820

Email

Latest News

• 

  Inspired Chaffey wins first Australian Paratriathlon crown

  The Gold Coast’s three-time ITU World champion Bill Chaffey displayed all of his world champion qualities to win the inaugural Australian Paratriathlon Championship at Sydney’s International Regatta Centre, Penrith. Chaffey took out the hotly contested Tri 1 category ahead of his hero, Sydney’s 46-year-old legendary Paralympian John Maclean and London Paralympic rowing silver medallist Erik Horrie. It was Maclean, who first put Paratriathletes on the international stage with his performances in the Hawaiian Ironman Triathlon in the 1990s, who proved to be Chaffey’s inspiration after a 2005 training crash left him a paraplegic. Maclean rang Chaffey in response to an email in 2006 and the man who has conquered Hawaii, the English Channel, Molokai and rowed for Australia at the Beijing Paralympics has remained his hero ever since. And the first ever Australian Paratriathlon Championship was not all about the race but also about meeting the man he has looked up to for the past decade. “I have followed John’s career since 2001 and when I emailed him after my accident he was straight on the phone fore some words of wisdom and I’ve never forgotten it,” said Chaffey. “But throughout the years I have never had the pleasure of meeting John until this week’s race briefing and then after the race. “It was certainly great to meet someone you have looked up to for so long and to be truthful, I started shaking in my boots when I heard he was racing.” But it was Chaffey, 37, who swam strongly and was one of the first out of the water after the 750m swim before taking control with a powerful 20km bike leg and finishing off with a slick 5km wheelchair ride in a time of 1 minute 02.58 secs, with Maclean (1:12.06) holding off Horrie (1:12.38). The former Bilambil Heights champion triathlete was left seriously injured on a training ride when he suffered four broken bones in his back, and broken elbows and pelvis, after an accident between a light truck and his bike on near Chinderah in 2005. Chaffey will now set himself for the Cairns Ironman Triathlon on June 9 in an all-out effort to qualify for his first Hawiian Ironman Triathlon, before the ITU World Championships in London in September and his long term goal to contest the first ever Paratriathlon at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Maclean was quick to praise Chaffey as one of the world’s finest Paratriathletes and was chuffed to hear that he had been such an inspiration. “Bill and I have similar stories, both injured while out training and I told him he could achieve anything he wanted to and it has been great to follow his progress and to think I may have played some small part in his career,” said Maclean. “Events like this (the Australian Paratriathlon Championships) can only encourage more Paratriathletes and there is no doubt the sport is set to go vertical. “It will be good for Bill as he sets his sights on Rio.” Maclean admitted his first serious outing in eight months was a tough day in the office. “When I saw the race was in my own backyard (at Penrith) I decided to support it and a sport that has certainly supported me throughout my career,” said Maclean. “But after just eight days training to try and lose some weight and that Christmas pudding it was tough going.” For Glenmore Park’s Horrie, encouraged by Maclean to attempt his first triathlon, it was a pleasing result on only his fifth time on his handcycle for the multi-talented athlete. Horrie was a member of the National Wheelchair basketball team, who just missed selection for Beijing in 2008 but qualified for the rowing team for London in 2012, winning silver in the men’s single sculls. Other winners on the day were: Men’s Tri 2: Michael Milton (Ainslie, ACT); Men’s Tri 4: Dale Grant (Mount Waverley, VIC); Men’s Tri 5: Justin Godfrey (Albury, NSW); Men’s Tri 6: Jonathan Goerlach (North Nowra, NSW); Women’s Tri 3: Debbie Wendt (Morayfield, QLD); Women’s Tri 4: Claire McLean (Carlisle, WA) and Women’s Tri 6: Lindy Hou (Hawker, ACT). {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  Triathlon Australia seeking National Performance Director

  Triathlon Australia is seeking a National Performance Director. Triathlon Australia CEO Anne Gripper said: “The new National Performance Director will be responsible for the achievement of sustained international success through strategic leadership and effective implementation of the National High Performance Program for 2013-2020. “We want to ensure that Australia regains and maintains its position as the best performing nation at the Olympic, Paralympic, Commonwealth Games and ITU World Championship events” “This is a high level strategic leadership position which will have significant influence on the outcomes of the high performance aspect of our sport. We are keen to hear from a broad range of potential candidates who may have a business or consultancy background with an interest in the sport of triathlon. It is not necessary for the candidate to have been working in high performance sport” commented Gripper. Triathlon Australia, as the governing body for the sport of triathlon in Australia, has the vision of “Sustained International Success” for the sport and the defining objective of being the best performing nation at the Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games as well as ITU World Championship Events. As National Performance Director, you will play an instrumental leadership role in achieving this vision. Reporting to the CEO of Triathlon Australia, you will have responsibility for the development and effective leadership of all aspects of a robust, dynamic, leading edge high performance program. Your success will be measured not only by your ability to provide clear vision, strategy and planning for all system elements and partners, but also your ability to develop measurable program objectives and ensure key performance indicators are achieved. Your compelling leadership will create an enviable competitive high performance environment that fosters collaboration, commitment, national team values, encourages high standards and ensures a quality daily performance environment and leading edge support services for the athletes. Strategies which strengthen the club based system, invest in the development of state and national performance centres, ensure pathways for talented junior athletes, as well as attract and develop more high performance coaches into the program are examples of the exciting challenges ahead. You are a proven leader with a genuine sporting affinity and sound financial skills. Your track record of success in developing and delivering on an exciting vision and strategy has been achieved through outstanding team leadership, excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills, as well as collaboration with a range of internal and external stakeholders. You may already be working in high performance sport or alternatively in a senior strategic planning and implementation capacity within a complex corporate or professional services environment. Expressions of interest are due before Friday 14 September 2012, to find out more please click here {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  Paratriathlon takes a landmark step forward in Australia

  Paratriathlon in Australia has officially kickstarted its Paralympic pathway, with the first Triathlon Australia and Australia Paralympic Committee seminar in Sydney last Friday. Participants ranged from medical specialists, like physiotherapists and doctors, classifiers from current Paralympic sports, sports administration staff, coaches - including Triathlon Australia's high performance team, Australian Paralympic Committee staff and athletes. They gathered together in Sydney to receive an overview on the history of paratriathlon, and a background on the ITU classification system and ITU rules, led by ITU’s head of Paratriathlon Classification Marguerite Christophers. It was the first seminar of its kind, as Triathlon Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee start to work together ahead of Rio. Paratriathlon was officially accepted onto the Paralympic programme in December 2010, and will make its Paralympic debut at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. APC Classification Manager Genevieve McMahon said that the seminar was the launchpad for the sport in Australia. "It’s an initiative from the APC and Triathlon Australia to provide a general overview of Paratriathlon in order to kickstart our programmes here," she said. "So the most important part of that being the introduction to the classication system. Being able to identify where an athlete fits as early as possible in their pathway, is really critical. "We are four years out from Rio, and so in order for Australia as competitive as possible this is a really important opportunity for us to have all of our networks, not just our National Federations and High Performance programmes but our State representatives here, to know who we are looking for, and where they fit in the system. This provides an opportunity to get the key people, all their heads in the room and work out what are the next steps for us, what are the next steps for the committee." Murray Hilder, Chair of Triathlon Australia's Paratriathlon Committee, said that Triathlon Australia were committed to not only making Paratriathlon a viable option for all athletes with a disability, but also honouring Australia's triathlon legacy and strong Paralympic history. "In Paralympic sports in general, Australia has a very successful history, we need to ensure we continue with that tradition," Hilder said. "Triathlon in Australia is also a very popular sport and we’ve had a lot of success, so for us in terms of a National Federation we need to carry that tradition across to Paratriathlon, and we’re confident we can do it, but we need to do it right." Representatives from the Triathlon Australia's Paratriathlon Committee were also in attendance. The committee was formed in October 2011 and includes Hilder, Anne Gripper, Michael Hartung, Alex Fehon, Jacqui Kenny, Michael Flynn and two legendary Australian Paralympic athletes, Lindy Hou and Michael Milton. Hou has a degenerative eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa and has been legally blind since 1996. She was a fiercely competitive triathlete and a successful triathlon coach but when her eyesight deteriorated she was forced to give up competitive cycling and coaching. Milton is a leg amputee, who is Australia’s fastest skier in history and six-time winter Paralympic gold medallist, and made his summer Paralympics debut in Beijing in cycling. He competed in the 2011 Paratriathlon World Championships in Beijing, and he said what learned from the seminar was that Paratriathlon had untapped potential worldwide. "I think triathlon as a sport has so much potential because of its participation base, so many sports for athletes with disabilities have a reverse structure, where the majority of athletes are elite and you don’t have any participation base," Milton said. "One of the things that really hit me today was that there are 43 countries with a thousand athletes competing in paratriathlon, and we are seeing at world championships in Beijing there was 70 or 80 athletes, we’re seeing the participation base and then this little point of the triangle at the top end with the elite end. So many sports that I see are the other way round, so it’s a cool sport to be a part of." He said his advice to athletes looking to try Paratriathlon was that it was challenging, but that's what made it so worthwhile. "As an athlete, I love riding my bike, I was a competitive swimmer up until 15 and I'm enjoying getting back in running, I love challenging myself and triathlon offers those things to be as an individual athlete. It’s an immense challenge, but it’s an extremely rewarding experience. I guess also in triathlon, there is so much variety, the chance to do a sprint distance race or stretch yourself and go longer, all of those challenges can be good things and from my point of view it’s been really rewarding to learn more about the sport." To find out more about Paratriathlon, please click here. To find out more about Paratriathlon in Australia, please click here. To find out more about the Australian Paralympic Committee please click here. {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  Kate McIlroy, Aaron Royle triumph over Dutch in Kinloch

  Australia’s Aaron Royle made the most of Beijing Olympian Kris Gemmell’s misfortune to win the 2012 Kinloch OTU Sprint Triathlon Oceania Cup. Wearing the number one for the event, Gemmell was forced to retire due to mechanical failure on the bike, when his derailler broke, bringing his race to an abrupt end. But one man’s misfortune was another man’s gain and Royle, runner-up in last year’s Oceania Championship, seized the opportunity to record a 4-second win over Dutchman Jan van Berkel in second with fellow Australians Jamie Huggett and Peter Kerr in third and fourth respectively. Royle produced his trump card on the bike, exiting onto the run alongside New Zealand pair Tom Davison and Edward Rawles with the two Kiwi youngsters keeping the elite company honest. “I came into this race confident, it is my first race for the year and I know I am probably the fittest I have ever been,” said Royle. "I was able to get a good swim and really take it out on the bike (and it was) the bike that got me the win today. We had a good group, (including) Rawles and Davison and for a while Richard Varga. “I was concerned knowing that there were a few good guys that could bridge the gap on the run if my legs didn’t keep me going but I was able to push through to the end and hold the lead." Meanwhile in the women’s race, New Zealand’s Kate McIlroy recorded an impressive season opener, running away from the ever improving Dutch pair of Rachel Klamer and Danne Boterenbrood. McIlroy's teammates Debbie Tanner ran home fourth and Nicky Samuels finished fifth. This group of five established a strong lead early on the bike after exiting the 750m swim together, with the field trailing behind as the pace went on around the tight and demanding multi-lap 20km bike course. Onto the 5km run it was Samuels who faded first, leaving the two Dutch and two Kiwis to hammer away in front of a huge crowd lining the Kinloch course. Into the home straight for the final time it was McIlroy who proved strongest, pulling away in a great display of strength and leg speed, especially for so early in the season. "I’m really happy, it was a really hard race, we pushed the whole way,” said McIlroy. "The bike was aggressive and on the run there was a group of us pushing the whole way. Team tactics didn’t come into it at all; I think we all had a plan of trying to bike really hard and keep the chasing group away from us and maintain that gap. "Once on the run the pace was on the whole time, Danne went out quickly so there was no time to rest. There were a few surges on the last lap from Rachel, I made sure I stayed with her the whole time and got ready for the sprint, it isn’t the strongest part of my racing but I managed to find enough today.” With files from Triathlon Australia and Triathlon New Zealand {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}

• 

  Devonport to host 2012 Continental Championships

  Triathlon Australia Press Release. Issued on 12 July 2011. Devonport, Tasmania has been selected as the venue for the 2012 OTU Oceania Triathlon Championships. The 2012 Devonport OTU Triathlon Oceania Championships will be conducted on Saturday 10 March. The Oceania Championships in 2012 is a significant part of the international triathlon calendar as one National Federations from Oceania region can lock in a spot for the London 2012 Olympic Games at the Devonport race. With only 8 countries allowed the maximum of 3 athletes per gender on the London start line, the battle to secure the one automatic spot granted to Oceania countries will be fiercely contested in Devonport. The 2012 event will be conducted at a brand new venue in Devonport located at the Devonport Surf Life Saving Club and Mersey Bluff foreshore. The Devonport City Council has just recently completed the multi-million dollar redevelopment of the foreshore which will allow for a natural amphitheatre for athletes and spectators alike. The 2012 Oceania Championships announcement now shapes the 2012 elite calendar in Australia which carries important ITU and Olympic ranking points. The elite calendar includes the Australian Sprint Distance Championships in Geelong, followed by Oceania Championships in Devonport, next is the ITU World Cup at Mooloolaba and finishing with the ITU Dextro Energy World Triathlon Championship race in Sydney. Triathlon Australia’s CEO, Anne Gripper said “After consulting with both Triathlon Australia and Triathlon New Zealand High Performance staff and executive, along with the OTU and ITU, a suitable date for the Oceania championships was agreed. Subsequently, the TA board accepted the impressive proposal put forward by the Devonport Triathlon organising committee. The Devonport Triathlon has a long and proud history in the evolution of triathlon in Australia. The past winners represent the who’s who of Australian and indeed international triathlon.” Devonport last hosted the Oceania Championships back in 2004 when Beijing Olympian Brad Kahlefeldt outsprinted Sydney Olympian Miles Stewart to win the men’s race. British athlete Liz Blatchford won the women’s race from Barb Lindquist (USA) and Nicole Hackett. Interestingly, in that year Triathlon New Zealand used the Devonport race as their final selection race for the Athens Olympic Games. Nathan Richmond finished in 4th place overall and beat a fast finishing Kris Gemmell to secure the third and final New Zealand Olympic spot for Athens. In the women’s race Samantha Warriner held out Shanelle Barrett by ten seconds to secure her Athens spot on the New Zealand Olympic team. The 2004 race also included Athens Gold medallist Hamish Carter (NZL), Ironman athletes Craig Alexander and Chris McCormack, while the women’s field in 2004 included Beijing Olympians Erin Densham and Emma Moffatt along with Ironman athletes Mirinda Carfrae and Sam McGlone (CAN). Triathlon Australia’s National Performance Director, Michael Flynn said “Devonport is an ideal and proven venue for the 2012 Oceania Championships as it allows us to assess athlete performances while competing under similar conditions and course design that we are expecting in London. We are fully aware of the significance of this race in terms of automatically locking in one of a possible three spots in London. Back in 2008 the kiwis were better organised than us and took the automatic Oceania spot. We will ensure that does not happen in 2012.” Along with the elite race, the 2012 Devonport OTU Triathlon Oceania Championships will also host the OTU Oceania Junior Championships as well as the OTU Oceania Age Group Championships. For Australian junior and age group athletes there are very important spots up for grabs to be selected to compete at the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Championships in Auckland, New Zealand later in the year. Devonport Triathlon Race Director, Mike Gunson said “Devonport Triathlon is honoured to be awarded the opportunity to once again host the Oceania Olympic Distance Championships. The local organising committee has a proud 28year history of conducting international triathlon events and that tradition will continue in March 2012. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support of our event partners in particular the Tasmanian State Government through Events Tasmania, Devonport City Council, Triathlon Australia and the Oceania Triathlon Union.” {/exp:tagstripper:tagsToSave}