Aspen Anderson and Jack Caldwell shone as they took out the gold medals at the 2025 Oceania Triathlon Junior Championships in Devonport.
Anderson led from start to finish to take out the women’s race, ahead of Victorian Claire Spicknall in second, and West Australian Ava Henville in third.
Anderson and Spicknall’s quinella earnt them an auto nomination for the 2025 World Triathlon Championships, set to be held in Wollongong in October.
The 18-year-old Queenslander Anderson said she was proud of the race she pulled together.
“I was really happy with the race I put together – I had quite a strong swim and we got the girls moving on the bike which was really nice,” Anderson said.
“The hill four times was a bit of a sting but we got it done, and I really liked the run so I just worked into my strengths there.”
Reflecting on the race, Anderson said it was her transitions that set her up for success.
“I’m really happy with my transitions – I feel like I normally have a good T2 (second transition) and get out nice and fast.
“It sets up a good run when you’re out in some free space. I set up about a 50m lead, so I just kept calm and kept working on that gap,” she said.
Looking ahead, the carrot dangling at the end of the season is what Anderson said is motivating her.
“I’m really happy it’s a home World Championships…it’s really rare, and a bit of redemption from last year too.
“I didn’t have the race I wanted to have at Worlds, so I’m hoping a bit of a home ground advantage will help me,” she said.
New South Welshman Jack Caldwell powered home to deliver an emphatic win in the men’s race.
Queenslander Zahn Spies finished with a silver medal, and New Zealander Finnley Oliver crossed in third. Hometown hero Jack Woodberry finished just outside of the podium in fourth.
With their top-two finishes, Caldwell and Spies secured their automatic nominations for the 2025 World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong, ensuring they will line up on home soil in October.
“This is the most unreal feeling ever…coming into the finishing chute, high fives, people yelling…” Caldwell said.
“You can’t compare that to anything. The hours of training to pull that off on race day is just amazing.
“I did a fair few hill reps in training, knowing that hill was coming, so I think I was pretty well prepared for that. I always swim hard, I like a gap and don’t like it to come together on the bike.
“Probably the second lap on the run I was hurting, but I knew that I was home so just tried to keep comfortable,” he said.
Caldwell said the icing on the cake was earning qualification for the 2025 World Championships.
“To get to represent Australia for the first time now, I can’t wait to do it on home soil in front of all my friends and family,” he said.
Racing continues in Devonport this afternoon, with the 2025 Oceania Triathlon Championships.
The women’s race gets underway from 1pm AEDT, with Tokyo Olympian Emma Jeffcoat headlining the women’s field. CLICK HERE for the full start list.
Noosa Triathlon champion Brayden Mercer will feature in the men’s race which starts at 3:45pm AEDT, CLICK HERE for the full start list.
Both races will be live streamed via the AusTriathlon Youtube channel – click here
