Athlete aims for the US
Even as he pulls out the stops to attend a prestigious global event in the United States, Cambridge triathlete Bradley Cullen continues racking up the wins.
The talented 15-year-old has long been making a name for himself by taking the top titles in events well beyond his age group.
He raced in the U18s at the 2015 New Zealand Aquathon Championships at Mt Maunganui - and won for the second successive year.
That win meant he became eligible to take part in the International Triathlon Union 2015 World Championships in Chicago from September 15-20 - which has thrown him into a frenzy of fundraising.
Estimating he will need around $7000 to get to Chicago to race in the U19 aquathon and triathlon, he has set up a ‘‘givealittle’’ page through the Spark Foundation and is hoping supporters will donate something towards his trip.
Cullen is known as a driven and committed athlete. He has been swimming competitively since he was 9, then moved into doing triathlons a couple of years later.
At age 12 he won a gold medal at the inaugural National Schools Open Water Swimming Championships, and followed that with another gold, won by himself and co-competitor Liam Grinter, in the year 8 category of the Contact National Schools Triathlon Championships.
Many awards have followed since then and Cullen has been selected by his school (Hamilton Boys’ High) as the Multi-Sports Person of the Year for the past two years.
In January this year, he raced in the Open Mens Blue Lake Multisports Festival in Rotorua.
It featured three events over two days - and Cullen finished third overall.
Earlier this month he raced in Kinloch in Taupo, at the Oceania National Sprint Triathlon and finished third in the Open Mens division.
Coached by Sam Warriner, Cullen fits around 17 to 24 hours of training a week - over and above his regular school commitments. His current schedule comprises three to four swims a week, four bike rides a week, and four to five runs a week - all of varying distances.
‘‘My main goal is to raise enough funds so I can compete for New Zealand on the world stage in Chicago,’’ he wrote on his givealittle page.
Cullen said he had competed outside New Zealand before - at the Australian Junior Tri series on the Gold Coast last year.
To support Cullen, go to Givealittle - Cause - Chicago World Triathlon/Aquathon.