Triathlete takes top spot

LOCAL triathlete Bailey Tuddenham is celebrating his biggest win yet following his competing in the World Triathlon Cup in Wollongong last month.

Undertaking a 1.5-kilometre swim, a 40-kilometre bike ride, and finishing with a 10-kilometre run as part of the men’s Olympic distance, he finished as one of the Australian Age Group Standard champions.

Coming first in his respective 15 to 19 age category, he said he’s still reeling from the achievement.

“It’s good to make national champ,” he said. “I had to work for it but it was a pretty big shock to take the line honours too even though I got second overall.

“But I won the 15 to 19 age group which is what I went there to do, and now I’ve got the qualifying for Spain.

“I took the overall series win for the Victorian tri series, the 2XU, but Wollongong’s definitely my best result yet.

Tuddenham’s finish time was 1 hour 53 minutes and four seconds, estimated to be more than three minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.

His success on the Illawarra means he’ll be preparing to compete in the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Torremolinos-Andalucia in late October.

With his mother and grandfather competing alongside him, and taking silver in the women’s 35-39 age group and bronze in the men’s 60-64 age group respectively, Tuddenham said their presence made his victory all the more rewarding.

“My family’s always been it for years and years,” he said. “My mum and my pa, my aunties, uncles, and my nan all used to do it.

“About 10 years ago I used to go with them, you’d see it all and it it’d get you hooked. Now 10 years later I’m doing the same events they were doing.

“It’s sort of a full circle in a way and it was very special to take the win in front of them.”