Multisport: Taupo pair in squad to tackle Aussies

Kyle Smith is one of 11 young triathletes in the New Zealand squad. Photo/File

Two young Taupo triathletes will compete at the Australian Junior Sprint Tri in New South Wales this weekend following successful campaigns.

Kyle Smith, 16, and Nicole van der Kaay, 17, have displayed enough talent recently for selectors to include them in a young New Zealand squad.

Triathlon New Zealand has selected 11 young triathletes to compete in Penrith following a series of talent ID camps and the Triathlon Youth Festival in Auckland at the end of last year.

The opportunity to race in Penrith is part of the National Talent Programme as the sport looks to identify, nurture and provide pathways for emerging young talent in the sport.

The team will have the coaching expertise of Tri NZ talent development coach Tim Brazier, with support from former Olympian Nathan Richmond.

Brazier says it is a great chance for the athletes and coaches to learn a little more about each other and international competition.

"This is a talented group of young athletes who were selected after a superb Youth Festival in Auckland and a number of camps and results through the year. The standard at the Youth Festival was high, as was the attitude of the athletes with a clear appetite to learn on display across the two days.

"As we grow the talent pool at this young age, the benefits are many ... at events such as this in Penrith and also at home in the Tri Series and Regional Youth Academies. The more we bring these athletes together, the more competitive they will become as a group, pushing each other on to greater heights."

The triathletes travel to Sydney today and then to Penrith, where they will visit the course tomorrow. Saturday will see individual races over the sprint distance before they race again on Sunday, this time in teams in a super-sprint format before flying home later that evening.

The New Zealand squad to race in Penrith: Dan Hoy (age 15, Auckland, coached by Nathan Richmond), Matt Manning (15, Auckland, Brett Reid), Tayler Reid (17, Gisborne, Stephen Sheldrake), Kyle Smith (16, Taupo, Cameron Durno), Fynn Thompson (17, Queenstown, Val Burke), Liam Ward (16, Auckland, Brett Reid), James Wright (16, Whanganui, Gareth Wright), Steffie Holcroft (18, Hamilton, Syd Cummings), Jaimee Leader (16, Palmerston North, Samantha Warriner), Lizzie Stannard (16, Palmerston North, Will O'Connor) and Nicole van der Kaay (17, Taupo, Cameron Durno).