Athletes to mix it up in team relay
SOME of Australia’s Commonwealth Games-bound triathletes will be pitted against international rivals and some of our best rising talent next week with gold at the forefront of their minds.
Triathlon Australia will host a Mixed Relay Invitational at Runaway Bay on March 17-18 where the likes of Gold Coasters Ashleigh Gentle and Matt Hauser will sharpen their skills in the lead-up to the Games.
Gentle and Hauser combined with Charlotte McShane, who will also compete in the invitational, and Jake Birtwhistle to win the mixed relay world championship in Hamburg last year.
The introduction of the relay to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games has resulted in the nation putting a larger focus on the team format.
A Gold Coast Tritons team – featuring 10 Australian triathletes – will also compete in the Major League Triathlon series this year due to its inclusion of mixed relay races.
Ten Australian teams will go up against six international sides, including USA, Canada, Hong Kong and Wales, at Runaway Bay.
Two qualification rounds will be held on the Saturday with the top two teams, made up of two males and two females, and two next best times from each to go through to Sunday’s final.
The remaining teams will contest a repechage on Sunday morning where an additional two teams go through to the A final.