ACT athletes scorched the 2015 ITU World Duathlon Champs course in Adelaide, over the weekend, with 3 Gold, 3 Silver and 3 Bronze medals.
Leading the way for the men was Jonathon Goerlach (with guide Jack Bigmore) grabbing the World ParaDuathlon PT5 gold in a very tight race from Frenchman Arnaud Grandjean and fellow Australian team mate, Daniel Searle. The Performance Triathlon Coaching athlete was ecstatic in his first world title.
“Grandjean pushed us early in the race, so we stepped it up in the second half of the first 5km and opened up a small gap leading into the first transition. Bigmore and I worked hard to extend our lead on the 20km cycle, leaving us a comfortable final run to the finish.”
Goerlach has had a great end to the season after a fantastic 6th place at the World Paratriathlon Championships in Chicago last month. “Four weeks training in the heat of Florida leading up to Chicago definitely paid off, as my fitness carried over to Adelaide. The home country support was amazing with a lot of friends and Australians cheering us on over the multi-lap course.”
Adam Rudgley proved he is ready to step up into the Elite ranks next year as he produced the second fastest cycle and second run leg to seal an outstanding Bronze medal in the World Under 23 Men’s Duathlon race.
Corey Bacon, Rudgley’s coach, was stoked. “We placed no expectations on Rudgley leading into the race and that allowed him to excel without the added pressure. He raced strategically smart, allowing him to challenge for the podium on the final run. Rudgley’s dedication, hard work ethic and commitment is second to none, with this result he now has the confidence to be competitive against the best Elite athletes.”
Laura Wolfson and Cameron Roberts, ACT’s youngest athletes, claimed the 20-24 female and male world titles respectively. Wolfson, from the Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club claimed an outstanding win, with a phenomenal cycle time that propelled her in to a large lead and ran strong to claim a 30 second win. Roberts (Goulburn Triathlon Club) was electric on the first run, leading from start to finish. Wolfson and Roberts were the stars of the show amongst a very strong ACT age group team. Sean Smee (35-39 Male), Angela Bateup (45-49 Female) and David Baussmann (65-69 Male Sprint) all claimed silver in their respective categories, while Rowan Walker (45-49 Male) and Michelle Crawford (50-54 Female) sealed podium positions with fine bronze medals.
Medals
Jonathan Goerlach Elite Para PT5 (Jack Bigmore – Guide) 1st
Laura Wolfson 20-24 Female AG 1st
Cameron Roberts 20-24 Male AG Sprint 1st
Sean Smee 35-39 Male AG 2nd
Angela Bateup 45-49 Female AG 2nd
David Baussmann 65-69 Male AG Sprint 2nd
Adam Rudgley U23 Elite Male 3rd
Rowan Walker 45-49 Male AG 3rd
Michelle Crawford 45-49 Female AG 3rd
The next race in the ACT Triathlon Series is the Jackie Fairweather Memorial Triathlon held on 7-8th November at Rond Terraces in Canberra. There are events for everyone including a Sprint Distance, Novice, TRYstars Kids, Junior / Elite draft-legal race, 5km Retro Run, Paratriathlon and the Jackie Fairweather Dinner. for more details.
Photos: Above Jonathon Goerlach and bottom Adam Rudgley
