Duathlon: Shore girls destined for success

While the big guns are battling it out at the elite world triathlon championships, three North Shore girls from the same school will be waiting for a chance at top level in the not too distant future.

Rangitoto College students Rebecca Spence and Kate Mitchell, along with old girl Anna Hamilton, are all competing at the world junior duathlon champs in Newcastle, Australia late next month - a 5km run, a 20km cycle and then a 25km run.

Hamilton and Spence will also race at the world junior triathlon champs (750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run) which precede the elite races at Gamagori, Japan. One of those taking part in the elite men's race will be another Rangitoto alumni, Terenzo Bozzone (see below).

Spence is unbeaten in both triathlon and duathlon events at under-16 and under-19 secondary school level this year and last year. Only 16, she is the national under-20 triathlon champion. At the prevoius world junior triathlon champs in Madeira, Spain, she placed 11th out of more than 40 starters, aged just 15.

Rangitoto's profile in multisport events is unprecedented in New Zealand and the college thinks it will have the largest presence of any school in the world at the duathlon championships - as their three girls make up half of the entire New Zealand contingent.

Hamilton, head girl in 2004, said Bozzone's success - he won the world junior duathlon championships in 2001 and 2002 - was a motivating factor in her taking up the sport.

She finished third at the world junior duathlon champs last year in Geel, Belgium - meaning Rangitoto has had a medal presence in three of the last four world junior champs.

Classmates Mitchell and Spence came to Rangitoto from Mahurangi College and Takapuna Grammar in the ballot system, lured by the the school's powerful multisport programme and the Millennium Institute facilities, which literally sit over the back fence of the school.

Mitchell is a strong runner and has also claimed the NZ secondary schools senior girls road race.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY