McShane & Birtwhistle stake Rio claims in Yokohama

NSWIS triathletes Charlotte McShane and Jake Birtwhistle have made their strongest claims yet for a place on the Australian Olympic team, both producing their best ever World Triathlon Series finish in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday. 

So far just three of a total six triathlon positions have been selected for Rio, with fellow NSWIS athletes Aaron Royle and Ryan Bailie making up the men’s contingent so far, while Beijing Olympic bronze medallist Emma Moffatt awaits confirmation of the other two women who will line up alongside her in Rio. 

A former women’s under 23 world champion, McShane splits her time between Wollongong when in Australia and Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain throughout the European summer and exclaimed “I’ve done good” to coach Jamie Turner, who was equally pleased with the result. 

“Charlotte is tenacious as a front runner and that really suits her; she is finally getting a sense of belonging at the front end of the field and that has not come overnight – it’s been six to eight years in the making,” Turner told Triathlon Australia. 

Meanwhile reigning men’s under 23 world champion Jake Birtwhistle, who trains alongside McShane, also had a breakout day as he produced his fastest ever 10 kilometre run split, his final 2.5 kilometres the fastest of anyone in the race as he finished fourth, an impressed Turner praising the young charge. 

“Our words for the day were ‘trust yourself in the back-end’ and that’s just what he did, he trusted himself and I couldn’t be happier with the way he ran; he was efficient and he coped with the surges and stayed composed,” he said. 

“He’s done a lot of work with our skills acquisition coach about holding technique under pressure and he showed today he was a classy runner.”

Both McShane and Birtwhistle will wait with baited breath as Australian selectors meet next week to decide who will fill the final three places on the Rio team. While Royle, Bailie and Moffatt were automatically selected at previous events, the final three spots are discretionally decided. 

The Australian Olympic Committee will announce the Rio triathlon team in Sydney on Monday, May 23.