NSWIS triathletes deliver podiums for the second week in a row

NSWIS trio Jake Birtwhistle, Natalie Van Coevorden and Charlotte McShane have claimed podium positions for the second consecutive week in a major Australian triathlon, this time at the coveted Noosa Triathlon.

While last week Birtwhistle had a barnstorming victory at the Nepean Triathlon in NSW, he went from the hunted to the hunter as he chased down a one and a half minute deficit at the end of the bike leg to finish in second, just 17 seconds adrift of winner Dan Wilson from Brisbane.

In the women’s race the podium was a carbon copy of the Nepean race as Rio Olympian Ash Gentle won, her fourth Noosa Triathlon title (third straight), ahead of Van Coevorden and McShane.

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Just like 2015 the women’s race was led out by the Gold Coast’s Daniella De Francesco, with Van Coevorden clipping at her heels, the pair holding a 90 second lead at the end of the swim. By the end of the bike Van Coevorden had taken charge to be just over a minute ahead of Gentle, but would eventually be caught.

Despite seeing Gentle run away with the win, Van Coevorden’s said a second place result redeemed her disastrous 2015 race, where she was disqualified after taking a wrong turn and cutting the bike course by 13 kilometres.

“I wanted to be remembered as someone other than the girl who went the wrong way,” Van Coevorden told Triathlon Australia.

Royle grabs a podium in paradise

Rio Olympian Aaron Royle has placed third in his first attempt at the revered Island House Triathlon in the Bahamas, a race dubbed ‘pain in paradise’.

The race sees athletes compete over three days in individual time trials; enduro and sprint non-drafting formats in order to find the best all-rounder. It is also one of the richest races with a total prize pool of $500,000.00.

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After placing ninth at the Olympics, Royle again delivered in the Bahamas to be fastest in the individual time trial, seventh on day two, before racing back to a podium position on the final day.

Olympic champion Gwen Jorgensen of the USA won the women’s event for a second consecutive year. During the Australian summer, Jorgensen can be found training on the NSW South Coast in Wollongong alongside Royle, Birtwhistle, Van Coevorden and McShane.