Birtwhistle in it for the long haul

Triathlete eyes step up in distance

LAUNCESTON triathlete Jake Birtwhistle has indicated next year’s Paris Games will be his last crack at an Olympics before he switches to long-distance racing, as he prepares to compete in next Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 in Hobart.

The 28-year-old has stood on Commonwealth Games podiums and beaten the world’s best on the big stage.

But the introduction of the 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run event, about to start a five-year deal with Events Tasmania, was the push he needed to satisfy his desire to explore longer races. The 28-year-old, who won triathlon gold and mixed relay silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, still has his sights set on making the Paris team after making his Olympic debut in Tokyo.

However the opportunity to race at home has prompted him to get a taste of longdistance racing earlier than he planned.

He also indicated he may move to Ironman racing fulltime after next year’s Olympics.

“The Tasmanian race had a big impact on my decision, I’ve been playing with the idea of doing some longcourse racing over the last 12 to 18 months,” he said.

“But realistically I didn’t think I’d do it until after next year, after 2024, until then my focus will still be on the Olympics.

“I want to get through this next Olympic cycle and give it everything that I’ve got and then after that I imagine I’ll switch over to the Ironman 70.3s and then eventually, maybe, Ironman.

“With the race being in Tassie it felt like too good of an opportunity to miss, especially when I was already getting motivated by the idea.

“That time will come soon when I will fully step up, but for now it’s a bit of an exploration to see what it’s all like.

“Hopefully I’ll enjoy it and that will be the path I’ll lead after next year.”

Birtwhistle hopes the advent of the race, which has attracted a number of leading competitors including Kiwi Braden Currie and fellow Australians Josh Amberger, Charlie Quin, Nic Free and Tim Van Berkel, will help grow the sport in Tasmania.

“It’s great to get some cool events like that down here and hopefully it will really show to the world what we’ve got to offer,” he said.

“I think it’s going to be a great event and I’m really looking forward to getting to have a big race like that in my home state, which doesn’t happen too often.

“I’d love to get a bit of help (from local fans) out there to carry me through the course because no doubt it’s going to be a tough one. I don’t know the roads too well but I’ve heard it’s hilly so I’ll be expecting a tough day.”

Athletes will complete a 1.9km swim course in the Derwent River that hugs Battery Point, and a 90km ride with the most vertical gain of any Ironman 70.3 bike course in Oceania.

The 21.1km run will follow the intercity cycleway past the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, before finishing at Princes Wharf No.1.