Reid's ‘crazy year’

WELL PLACED: Gisborne’s Tayler Reid is looking to build on last year’s triathlon triumph at the Gold Coast, where he became the under-23 world champion. Picture by ITU Media/Wagner Araiko

Gisborne triathlete Tayler Reid completed his “best-ever season” with an 18th place finish at the ITU World Cup series in Salinas, Ecuador.

“It’s not the way I would have liked to end the year but I can’t complain . . . it’s been a crazy year, my best ever, said the 21-year, who won the ITU world under-23 title on the Gold Coast in September.

That win followed a bronze medal, also on the Gold Coast in April, when he anchored the New Zealand mixed triathlon relay team of Nicole van der Kaay, Ryan Sissons and Andrea Hewitt at the Commonwealth Games

Reid — who also collected a silver medal in the ITU world cup in Antwerp, Belgium, and bronze in the mixed teams’ ITU world series relay in Edmonton, Canada — became the seventh Gisborne triathlete to bring home a medal from the Commonwealth Games.

The others were Peter Henderson (bronze in the 4 x 110 yards relay on the athletic track in Auckland in 1950); Chris White (silver, rowing coxed fours, Edinburgh, 1986); Rico Gear (gold, rugby sevens, Kuala Lumpur,1998); Shane Cameron (bronze, heavyweight boxing, Manchester, 2002); Hosea Gear (gold rugby sevens, Delhi, 2010); Perth-based Darcina Manuel (bronze, under-57kg judo, Glasgow, 2014).

“I’ve been to five world champs and not medalled,” said Reid. “My best placing was 11th. To come first is something I’ll never forget.”

Reid was first out of the water in the race in Ecuador and among the first of “a massive bunch of riders out of transition”.

“It was like the whole field was in the bunch. I was happy with my position, just a bit back from the leading group, which was just as well as one guy went down and took about eight others with him. I managed to ride through it.

“It was the same for the run — a big bunch — and again I was happy with where I was, but in the end it just wasn’t my day.”

Reid’s time for the run was 15 minutes 14 seconds — 43 seconds behind winner David Castro Fajardo of Spain.

“I have run 14:50 but on the day even that wouldn’t have been good enough.”

Reid is a glutton for training but admitted he need a rest after an exhausting season.

“The body’s tired. I’m just into a three-week break but starting to itch again about getting back, but I’m going to listen to my body and take it easy.

“Next year is my big year, Olympic qualifying (for Tokyo 2020) . . . it has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ll do a few races in new Zealand after Christmas but it will all be about honing myself to qualify for Tokyo.”

Reid and his 30-strong support crew of family and friends endeared themselves not only to his NZ teammates, but the media at the Commonwealth Games.

Sissons said it was tough after finishing the second leg, then watching his teammates take over the hunt for the podium.

“But we had full faith in Tayler and he absolutely killed that last leg. We set ourselves up from the very start and we knew we were in the game. We left it to the Gizzy boy to finish it off — it was awesome.”

Reid’s support crew at the Games sported curly blonde wigs and black T-shirts with his name on.

“I’m so lucky. I have such a big family and they love what I do,” Reid said at the time. “I’m so lucky they come and support me like they do.

“My family’s massive — I think I have like 20-plus, close to 30 here, all extended family. My mum, my stepdad, my dad and stepmum — they’ve all helped me so much to get to this point.”

His success capped an impressive comeback by the former Gisborne Boys’ High School student, who had pins inserted in his arm after being hit by a car while training in 2016.

“It was a pretty bad injury at the time,” mother Jackie said. “But he was always determined to get over it.”