Comeback kid

WINNERS ARE GRINNERS: Josiah Ney crosses the finish line of the men’s race at the New Zealand sprint triathlon championships in Kinloch. He not only won the men’s 16-to-19-year division, he was first overall in his first race since he suffered broken bones in a cycling crash in October last year. ScottieTPhoto

GISBORNE teenager Josiah Ney made the perfect comeback from a serious injury at the New Zealand sprint triathlon championships in Kinloch last weekend. The Gisborne Boys’ High School student not only won the 16-to-19-year men’s age-group, he was first overall in the 127-strong men’s field of the sprint individual category (750-metre swim, 20-kilometre cycle, 5km run).

His coach, former professional ironman Stephen Sheldrake, made it a double celebration in winning the 40-44yr division and placing fourth overall. Ney’s mother Kate and another Gisborne triathlete, Terry Scott, were second in the 45-49yr age-group races.

Ney was delighted with his win.

“It was my first race since I suffered a compound fracture of my collarbone and broke my scapula in October, when I crashed at high speed during a Gisborne Cycling Club race,” he said.

“I spent three days in hospital but was able to train on my stationary bike at home two weeks after the accident. In early January I started to feel like I could do some real training, which was good as I was getting frustrated. I was thinking I might not get back to where I was before the accident.”

The two weeks of not being able to do anything made him realise how much he loved the sport and he was determined to get back to full fitness as soon as possible.

“Initially I was super-cautious on the bike but gradually I began to feel more confident. And even though I was still a bit cautious going into the race, I felt like I was getting back to full speed. I wasn’t really nervous, more looking forward to racing again.”

Ney said he lined up at the start line alongside a fast swimmer and tucked in behind him.

“Four of us came out of the water together but I was away first on the bike and attacked from the start. I wanted to open a gap but I didn’t want to put everything into the bike leg, which was basically flat with 300 metres of climbing.”

By the end of the cycle, Ney was nearly one and a half minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

“I ran the first of the two laps pretty hard and the gap went out to one minute 40 seconds. I knew then I wasn’t going to be caught. It was an awesome feeling winning my first race back from the injury.”

Ney crossed the line in one hour two minutes 33 seconds. He was 1m 24s ahead of Rob Creasey. Sheldrake was fourth in 1:05:02. Terry Scott clocked 1:11:17, 43 seconds behind the winner, and Kate Ney finished in 1:26:32.

“It’s given me a real boost for my next race — the national junior champs in Wellington in three weeks,” said Ney, who is determined to make up for last year’s nationals. I finished eighth after missing the leading bike pack.”

But the Wellington race would be a lot tougher than the Kinloch one, he said.

“There were some fast athletes at Kinloch but none of the top five juniors, who will be competing in Wellington. A top-five finish would be awesome but to make the National Talent Squad (NTS), it’s more about times than places,” Ney said.

Ney is to have surgery in July to remove a metal plate from across his collarbone. He said he had received “amazing help” from his aunt Danielle Lapointe.

“She’s a physiotherapist and often came over after-hours to help with my recovery.”

The sprint nationals were just one event in the Tri Kinloch festival.

Gisborne’s Mary Briant competed in the standard-distance race (1500m swim, 40km cycle, 10km run) and won the women’s 55-59yr age group in 3h 9m 43s.