Birtwhistle says best is to come

COMMONWEALTH Games silver medallist Jake Birtwhistle says his success is just the start for a young Australian men’s triathlon team determined to put the nation back at the top of the sport.

Birtwhistle headlined a young trio of triathletes including Matt Hauser, 20, and Luke Willian, 21, to make their Games debuts in style on Thursday.

Hauser finished fourth while Willian was eighth.

Birtwhistle said it marked a shift in a sport dominated by the likes of English brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee as the group of young men look to make Australia the premier triathlon country again.

“I am pretty sure this is just the start, so we will see what happens from here,” Birtwhistle said ahead of today’s mixed team relay final. “So to be in this position I am in right now, still quite young, it puts me in good stead for the future.”

Australia missed out on medals in the women’s race but Ashleigh Gentle (fifth), Gillian Backhouse (ninth) and Charlotte McShane (11th) were all among the top performers.

The Triathlon Australia under-23 development coach, Dan Atkins, said it was a good sign as the current mixed team relay world champions look to win gold in today’s team event.

Triathlon Australia remains tight-lipped on the identify of the four triathletes chosen to compete in the relay from the six-person team.

It is believed its greatest debate is between McShane and Backhouse. McShane was part of last year’s world title winning team but after finishing behind Backhouse on Thursday she could lose her spot.