Jaz in right groove ahead of long race
(38th) in 2016 and Gold Coast (27th) on April 8 this year.
Both were at the sprint distance of 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run and Hedgeland said the longer format would suit her better.
“I feel like I am better at just a constant speed rather then going up and down with the surges in sprint racing,” Hedgeland said.
“I’m really looking forward to the Olympic distance and seeing how I stack up against the worlds best over that distance.”
It is more valuable experience for Hedgeland who has come off a hugely successful junior career and trains with Triathlon Australia coach Dan Atkins at Burleigh.
She won four consecutive Australian junior and three Oceania titles between the age of 16 and 19.
Hedgeland also finished fourth at the World Junior Championships at 17 and ninth at last year’s under-23 World Championships in Mexico.
The now 21-year-old first started in triathlon at the age of nine in Perth and made the decision to relocate to link up with Atkins at 17.
Hedgeland earnt a surprise entry to her debut WTS event in Edmonton last year on the back of three-straight Asian Cup wins between June and July last year.
The Mermaid Waters resident’s goal is to race in as many WTS events as she can this year.
After starting her season with an eighth place finish at the Mooloolaba World Cup, Hedgeland went into the Gold Coast race ready to fire.
She came out of the water in eighth and remained with the lead pack on the bike before falling just off the pace in the run to finish in a time of 1 hour and 10 seconds.
“I was really glad to be able to experience it but I still wasn’t satisfied at the end of the race with how I went,” Hedgeland said.
“During the race I didn’t notice it as much but looking back on it I realised my positioning in the bike wasn’t the best.”
Hedgeland said she had long-term ambitions to compete at the Commonwealth and Olympic Games but her focus remained on this year’s WTS circuit.
“At the moment I’m just focusing on each race as it comes and aiming to improve each time,” she said.