LOCAL triathlete Bailey Tuddenham is celebrating his biggest win yet following his competing in the World Triathlon Cup in Wollongong last month.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Coming first in his respective 15 to 19 age category, he said he’s still reeling from the achievement.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“I took the overall series win for the Victorian tri series, the 2XU, but Wollongong’s definitely my best result yet.<\/p>\n
Tuddenham’s finish time was 1 hour 53 minutes and four seconds, estimated to be more than three minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.<\/p>\n
His success on the Illawarra means he’ll be preparing to compete in the World Triathlon Championship Finals in Torremolinos-Andalucia in late October.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“It’s sort of a full circle in a way and it was very special to take the win in front of them.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n