Olympic distance triathlon appears to suit Taupo triathlete Nicole van der Kaay, whose first international outing at the distance netted her a fifth place overall.
Van der Kaay competed at last weekend's Mooloolaba Triathlon Festival in Queensland and had a great outing over the Olympic distance - 1500mswim, 40km bike and 10km run - in temperatures in excess of 30C.
Despite being the youngest in the field, the 21-year-old was the first-placed Kiwi athlete and she made it into the front pack of six coming on to the bike after the ocean swim.
"It really was double the heat, distance and pain," van der Kaay said of the Mooloolaba triathlon.
"Olympic distance is a complete different style of racing but with a bit of practice it could be my calling."
She is hopeful the result will be enough to secure her a position in the World Triathlon under-23 Elite Championships in Rotterdam in the Netherlands later this year.
She is also thrilled to have gained a start in the Gold Coast World Triathlon Series, held in four weeks time on the same course as the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
Van der Kaay is also aiming to make the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team, with a selection race in October.
