Honourable Mention

Aiden Longcroft-Harris

Aiden Longcroft-Harris took a giant leap forward in his journey to become one of Canada’s best triathletes in 2019, producing several notable results that had him ohso-close to taking the men’s U-23 Triathlete of the Year title.

Longcroft-Harris, 21, was a busy man during the year, racing frequently on home soil while also testing his mettle in some international events.

The Victoria native placed 22nd at the U-23 World Championships in Lausanne, earned his first two CAMTRI (American Triathlon Confederation) podium finishes in Ixtapa and Montreal, and added top CAMTRI finishes in Richmond (fifth), Kelowna (sixth) and Magog (sixth).

Coached by former professional triathlete Kelly Guest, Longcroft-Harris also got his first taste of Super League Triathlon experience, qualifying for the 2019 Champions Series by virtue of his second-place finishes at Super League Ottawa in both the eliminator and enduro events. He had a successful start to the season, capturing the Blue Jersey as the swim leader at Super League Triathlon Jersey in September.

He was also fifth at the Sprint National Championships in July, and closed out his year with some ITU World Cup experience in Weihai and Miyazaki.

In October, Longcroft-Harris was crowned the men’s winner of Triathlon Canada’s inaugural National Development Series – a domestic race series launched in the spring to provide more racing opportunities for young Canadians.

The progression of Longcroft-Harris, who has been developed through Triathlon British Columbia’s pathway, took a big step forward this year. Now having gotten his feet wet racing against some of the world’s best, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with in 2020 and beyond.