Media Release - Cecil steps up claim for under 23 selection

Perfect racing conditions saw the Gold Coast’s Taylor Cecil take one step closer to his dream of making the Australian Under 23 Team by taking out Race 2 of the Gatorade Queensland Tri Series amongst a hot field in commanding style.  Brisbane’s Holly Grice cemented her position as series leader after claiming victory in the women’s race.

Cecil’s strong run leg saw him cross the finish line ahead of Ron Darmon and 2010/11 Gatorade QTS Series Winner, Bryce McMaster, who placed second and third respectively in the super sprint distance format (400m swim, 15km cycle, 4km run).

The swim did little to break up the lead group who set a cracking pace in the swim, McMaster leading into the changeover.

 The lead group of six included Cecil, Darmon, McMaster, Josh Maeder, Kenji Nener, and Ben Shaw. The pack remained tight on the 3-lap cycle course, all putting in the leg-work to share the lead and keep away from the chase group.  Dane Robertson and Nicholas Hull made a surge in the last lap of the cycle leg, catching the lead pack, all entering T2 in together and would come down to a foot race.  Cecil didn’t panic placing faith in his good running form and picking his time to make a move in the hot conditions on a fast 2-lap run.

 “We all came together on the bike so it came down to the run, it’s only 4km, so you have to run fast and I think we all pushed each other, It looks like everyone’s pretty fit at the moment, which is good,” said Cecil.

In the first race of his season Cecil has laid the foundations for attaining his goal of selection in the Under 23 team to contest the world championships in Auckland next year.

 “I’ve got lot’s of hard training coming up for our domestic season come late January, early February.  I want to be racing very strong, so I’m going to be training hard and I know that my coach, Craig Walton will be pushing me hard to reach that goal.

“This is my first race back in a while, it feels good to be back racing.  You do all this training to race so to win here today is great.  It’s so much fun, it’s awesome,” he added.

In the women’s event, Brisbane’s Holly Grice crossed the line ahead of Danielle DeFrancesco and Gold Coaster Brittany Forster.

Open water specialist DeFranscesco established a good lead ahead of Forster and Grice to lead through on the early stages of the bike leg. 

On the second lap of the bike Grice was 15 seconds down with Forster closing in.  A surge during the final lap saw her take a 20 second lead ahead of DeFrancesco and local girl Forster.

Grice managed to maintain her pace on the looped run course to finish ahead of DeFrancesco and Forster.

“I knew that Danielle would go out really fast in the swim so I planned to work as hard as I could on the bike to set myself up for a good run,” Grice said.

“I felt pretty good out there today.  The bike had a bit of a head wind but I just worked through it,” she added.

The victory has moved Grice into first position of the Gatorade QTS Series Lead.  

But it’s not all about the Open competitors, this year the Robina race welcomed two Special Olympic teams including 19-year old Kai Armstrong from Elanora who attended the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Athens, Greece, taking home gold and silver in athletics. 

Armstrong, who has an intellectual disability, completed the run leg with his team mate and 20-year old Chris Lyons from Southport.

The second team included Zac Kimber , 22 from Ashmore did the swim leg with 18-year old Jasmine Williams, from Arundel on the run leg.

Coach Debbie Jukes was thrilled with the support from the crowd and very proud of the teams.

“We’ve had so much fun here today.  They put in such a great effort and did an awesome job.  I think we’ll be back,” she said. 

For the age-groupers, Robina once again proved to be a popular event with over 1600 competitors turning out to take part.

The day also included the Fire & Rescue Recruiting Queensland Enticer Triathlon which continues to be a popular choice those just keen on keeping fit and having some fun. 

The Kool Kids Triathlon, just for kids 7 to 11 years of age, proved to be a highlight with plenty of eager kids participating in the 100m swim, 2km cycle and 400m run.

The 3^rd race of the 2011/12 Gatorade Queensland Tri Series will return to Raby Bay for the special Christmas edition on 11 December, always a great and fun way to wind down the year.

Overall Results

Male

1.             Taylor Cecil                         Broadbeach Waters       43:00

2.             Ron Darmon                        Carina                         43:07

3.             Bryce McMaster                   Daisy Hill                     43:10

4.             Kenji Nener                         Southport                    43:30

5.             Ben Shaw                            Mt Coolum                   43:40

Female

1.             Holly Grice                          Redcliffe                      49:55

2.             Danielle Defrancesco            Burleigh Heads            50:26

3.             Brittany Forster                   Miami                          50:53

4.             Emily Bevan                        Burpengary                  52:42

5.             Emma Coman-Jeffries          Morningside                 53:16

SWIM IT. RIDE IT. RUN IT. TRI IT.

A full set of results are available at www.qldtriseries.com.au.