Bike action from the NZ Schools Triathlon Championships in Whanganui.
Bike action from the NZ Schools Triathlon Championships in Whanganui.
Hamilton Boys High School's Bradley Cullen was able to break the cycle of the senior athletes "doing the double" while also getting redemption for his error on Thursday during yesterday's aquathon races of the David Jones Suzuki New Zealand Schools Triathlon Championships.
In both the morning Under 16 aquathon races and the Under 19 girls event - from the Whanganui River and up the town boardwalk - the winners were the same athletes who had claimed the individual triathlon victories the day before.
Cullen had finished runnerup in the Under 19 boys triathlon after he overshot the Glasgow St u-turn on his bike, despite running hard to cut down Mount Aspiring College's Janus Staufenberg's lead from 35s to 8s at the finishline.
This time, in a 22-strong aquathon field, Cullen was coming second to another competitor after the 750m swim, as they exited the water beside the Union Boat Club, and turned on the power during the 5km run to pick up a comfortable victory in 23 minutes.
"Thank God for that," he said after removing his shoes to reveal bloodied feet.
"I wasn't sure how I was going to run after yesterday, I went pretty deep on the run.
"A bit of a mistake cost me yesterday, but oh well."
Staufenberg came home second after a thrilling sprint to the line with schoolmate Gregor Findlay (23m 39-40s) which left both men lying exhausted in the finishing chute.
Cullen had to miss Thursday afternoon's team triathlon as he did not have enough fellow Hamilton Boys athletes with him, but he was eager to finish strong in yesterday's tag team triathlon which allows a mixture of boys and girls.
"It's my last year, so why not?"
Under 16 boys aquathon winner Dylan McCullough of Saint Kentigern College had the same attitude as he was beginning to feel the strain after entering Thursday's team's triathlon, which followed on from winning the individual Under 16 boys race in the morning.
The Under 16's again had one of the largest divisions for aquathon with around 41 entrants in the boys and 31 in the girls in a slightly shorter course to U19.
McCullough led from start to finish (20m 29s), with Southland Boys' Jaxon Taylor the runnerup (20m 46s) and Liam Chesney (St Patricks College) coming third in a line sprint against Mount Aspiring's Julius Staufenberg (20m 53-54s).
"The legs are starting to feel a bit faituged," McCullough said.
"Pretty happy, felt good, pleased I held it for the whole race."
Olivia Cummings (Otumoetai College) did not enter Thursday's teams race, but said it was "definitally" her goal to win both individual Under 16 girls races, which she did by passing the early leader on the aquathon run to finish in 20m 37s.
"I'm pretty sore, but [I] just go again."
Having spent most of her build up in swimming training, she was pleased to have calm water on the river, as it was on Thursday.
Waikato Diocesan's Hannah Knighton cleaned up both the Under 19 girls triathlon and aquathon at the NZ School Championships in Whanganui over Thursday and Friday.
Waikato Diocesan's Hannah Knighton would agree with that sentiment after she cleaned up her nine opponents in the Under 19 girls aquathon in 27m, with Mt Hutt College's Aimee Elliott coming in second 45s later, followed by St Kentigern's Maddy Clarke (21m 10s).
"Very sore, definitally felt it on the run, quite good the swim was assisted by the tide," Knighton said.
"Aimee gave me a really good go, I knew she had good legs.
"I'm pretty happy to do the double."
Knighton was also looking forward to combining with a group of fellow Tauranga Tri-Academy mates for the Tag Team Triathlon.
