Runner takes triple triathlon wins

THE week leading into April has been a big one for one of Ballarat’s triathlon champions, with multiple medals taken at interstate events.

Ballarat Grammar student Oscar Wootton took home two medals back-to-back during the Australian Grand Prix Triathlon and the Pho3nix Gold Coast Triathlon Luke Harrop Memorial in Queensland earlier this month.

Wootton came up second overall against the AGPT’s more than 500 competitors, and placed first in the memorial competition’s junior male category after having done the same during the 2XU Triathlon Series in St Kilda the week before.

He said the accolades rank at the top of his list of wins.

“I’m very, very happy to receive these,” he said. “For the last two years I feel like I’ve been really putting in the work and working really hard mentally and physically to get where I am.

“It wasn’t like a national championship as such, it was a national race but these awards are pretty much at the top of my list at the moment.

“They stand very tall for me at the moment and I’m very proud. It means a lot to me and especially to my family driving me around and my supporters.”

Having grown up in a sporty family, Wootton regularly took part in the Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon when he was younger, and started getting serious about competing about four years ago.

Wootton divides his training between the Ballarat Swimming Club, the Ballarat Sebastopol Cycling Club, RAD Centre, Ballarat Triathlon Club, and at Victorian Triathlon Performance Academy, with the latter funding his trips.

He’ll next be competing this weekend as part of the national sprint championships at Port Adelaide.

With two more seasons to go for Wootton in the 16 to 19 age group, he said his major aim is to take on the national title.

“That’s definitely the goal for me and something I want to work towards, to win the national series,” he said.

“I’m hoping to do well at Port Adelaide and obviously keep up the momentum into the race.

“I want to do well in my age group while I can and get a personal best in the run or the ride and do as well as the others and the best I can to show I’ve built up throughout the season.”