Triathlon: Gallipoli mission 'huge honour'

Hayden Moorhouse will represent New Zealand at the Gallipoli Games in April.

Tauranga triathlete Hayden Moorhouse will travel to Gallipoli next month to take part in a unique sporting event at an inspirational setting.

The 21-year-old former Tauranga Boys' College student is one of a select group of 70 young New Zealanders to compete at the inaugural Gallipoli Games.

The games are part of the 100th year anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli and will be held every two years. University student athletes from Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany, France and the United Kingdom are competing in 3x3 basketball, triathlon, cross country, swimming, sailing, tennis, beach volleyball, cycling and rugby.

A special torch relay left the seven countries last week on an epic journey to Turkey in time for the official opening of the Gallipoli Games on Anzac Day. The torch representing New Zealand departed from the Ataturk War Memorial in Wellington. It was lit and carried by open water swimmer Liam Albery.

Moorhouse is honoured to be selected for the games and to be able to attend the dawn service at Anzac Cove.

"It is very special to be part of this. It is part of our heritage of who we are and to be a part of the inaugural event is a huge honour for me to represent New Zealand. Competing for peace is the ideal of the games," he said.

Moorhouse is expecting a high standard of competition in the sprint distance triathlon, which is shorter than the longer version he prefers.

"Five of the seven countries competing are powerhouses of triathlon so they will be very hard to beat.

"Although it is only a sprint distance which doesn't necessarily suit me, I think the course will suit me. It is a flat run and the bike leg looks like it has one hill in it which will be good to separate the race out a bit over the eight laps."

Moorhouse, who trains locally with established triathlon athletes Andrew Lloyd and Aiden Dunster, reached one of his main goals in January.

"The last 12 months' goal was to finish the Tauranga Half ironman.

"I put in a lot of work to really ace that event and I managed to come away with a win in my age group and placing in the top 25 overall including the professional athletes.

"That was quite an achievement. I am in the process of moving from the shorter distances to the 70.3 or half ironman kind of racing.

"In the next 12 months I am looking forward to qualifying for the 70.3 world champs as an age grouper and then hopefully try and make it into the professional ranks."