Wright track for success

James Wright is set to stamp his mark in the Australian Junior Series in Penrith tomorrow. Photo/Supplied

Wanganui triathlete James Wright realised a dream when rewarded for his efforts at three youth development camps last year by gaining selection to compete in the Australian Junior Series in Penrith tomorrow.

The 16-year-old Wanganui High School student flew out yesterday as part of the TRINZ Elite Youth Squad.

A member of the triathlon division of the Whanganui Multisport Club, Wright will be taking part in an Australian Junior Series race tomorrow, which is also a qualifying triathlon for the Youth Olympics in China in August.

Wright has attended three TRINZ Youth Development camps in New Zealand in the last year. In December, he travelled to the Millennium Institute on the North Shore of Auckland for testing in swimming, cycling and running and, from that and previous camps, was picked for the squad to travel to Penrith.

He has been helped to achieve his goal by his coach, Gareth Wright, head of PE at Wanganui City College. Gareth Wright has been working with James for the past seven months and, through his guidance and direction, has achieved a high level of fitness.

Last December, the promising athlete took part in the New Zealand Aquathlon Championship in Mt Maunganui. He was sixth overall and third in his age group. The next day he raced the 1500m at the NZSS Athletics champs at Porritt Stadium, Hamilton, posting a time of 4.08, a substantial personal best time. He backed this up with a near identical time in the 1500m final.

On January 3, Wright raced in the sprint Tri at Whangamata. He was in a strong position coming out of the swim leg in fourth and was well placed in the cycle leg when a flat tyre ended his race prematurely.