A record number of competitors turned out last weekend for Race 3 of the 2XU Triathlon Series at St Kilda.
More than 2000 registrations were received for the five-race event which got underway at 6.45 am with the Fun Tri, followed by the Olympic Distance, Aqua Bike, Sprint Series and Kids Tri rounding out the morning’s events.
In the Men’s Open Olympic Distance, Levi Hauwert secured back-to-back gold with a finishing time of 1:59:27.1. Hauwert was delighted to start 2020 with a first-place finish as he prepares for IRONMAN 70.3 in Dubai next month.
“I’ll definitely be back for Race 4. I then head off to race in Dubai. It will be a good little hit out for the next session then back for Race 5,” Hauwert said post-race.
Joining Hauwert on the podium was Mack Kennedy who claimed silver with a finishing time of 2:01:32.3 and Damien Angus who claimed bronze with a finishing time of 2:02:04.3. In the Women’s, Alice Potashnyk secured gold with a time of 2:55:53.8 and Sophie Pennington secured silver with a time of 3:31:08.5.
In the Male Elite, Callum McClusky (1:03:19.3), Marcel Walkington (1:03:23.3) and Luke Bate (1:03:30.5) finished one, two and three, while in the Female Elite, Emma Hogan narrowly missed out on gold after Tamsyn Moana-Veale took top honours with a time of 1:12:10.2, Hogan followed with a time of 1:13:11.6 to claim silver, while Hiraku Fukuoka claimed bronze with a time of 1:13:57.7
The morning also saw the 2XU Triathlon Series and Triathlon Victoria join forces to fundraise for those affected by the Victorian bushfires with money raised going to the Victorian Bushfire Appeal and event charity partner, Beyond Blue.
The next series event, Race 4, is a Triathlon Australia Age Group ITU World Championship Qualifier and a selection event for School Sport Victoria’s Triathlon Team.
The top-25 athletes in each age group are awarded points towards qualification for the Australian Age Group Team World Championships in August, while those selected for the SSV Triathlon Team will represent their state at the SSA 13-19 Years Triathlon Championship in March at Harvey Bay.
Nominations for SSV’s Victorian team selection must be received by 11:59pm Saturday 1st February. Further details about the selection process and guidelines, including age groups and Championship details, can be found here.
The 2XU Triathlon Series will return to Elwood Park for Race 4 on Sunday 2nd February 2020. To register, please visit the 2XU Triathlon Series website.
