THREE of Jersey’s finest triathletes will be looking to make their mark in round four of the British Triathlon Super Series this weekend, travelling to Leicestershire’s very familiar Mallory Park.
This event’s scale can’t be overstated, as well over 300 competitors will grace Mallory Park over the weekend.
The format will consist of heats and finals, with heats taking place on Saturday over the very short distance of 350m swim, 8km cycle and 2km run, then finals on Sunday over the slightly longer super-sprint distance of 400m swim, 10km cycle and 2.5km run.
For the Junior athletes, the event also serves as the trials for July’s European Junior Championships in Melilla, adding pressure to perform well over both days as they look to secure one of the top three Junior positions in the A final.
First to race in Heat 1 of the 2 Junior/Senior heats at 2pm on Saturday will be Siena Stephens, who has recently finished her A-level exams. Coming off a podium finish in Llanelli, to place her tied-fifth in the Junior Female rankings, Stephens will surely be eager to carry on the momentum.
A top 12 finish in her heat would guarantee a place in the A final on Sunday, which should be within reach.
A repeat of her podium finish at the second round of the series in Wales would see Stephens secure her first GB call-up, but with the depth of the Junior ladies field, a top performance is demanded to take one of the slots.
Guernsey’s Hannah Kennedy is also in Heat 1 and could be one to watch in Sunday’s B final.
Next up from Jersey is Senior athlete Tom Atkinson, who goes in Heat 2 of the Junior/Senior Men’s event at 3.30pm. Currently ranked at 22 in the Senior Open category, Atkinson will be hoping for a good performance, to climb the leaderboard.
He will be aiming to grab a top 7 finish in his heat, for automatic qualification to Sunday’s A final. But, with a high-level qualifying field, including Olympic triathlete Sam Dickinson, he may need to rely on one of the fastest loser spots to make it through, which will require a top-tier swim from him.
With no European selection up for grabs, Tom’s next to focus will be the Island Games next month, which he enters as one of the favourites in the men’s race.
Last to race from Jersey on Saturday is Junior Luke Holmes in Heat 3 at 4pm.
Even though he also sat the last of his A-level exams last week, Holmes is among the favourites for the Junior race and, on his usual form, would expect to repeat his selection for the GB team at last year’s European Championships.
He’s certainly in good stead, with a second-place finish in his last super series outing securing a tied-third rank on the Junior Open table.
However, at this level of racing, there is still high pressure to perform without mistakes. His aim on Saturday will be to make the top six, without expending too much effort in order to maximise his chances on Sunday.
