Photos: Chris Willett
By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi
Hayley Cornwall and Finnley Oliver have snared impressive top-10s in their European race debuts as New Zealand’s four-strong team banked invaluable experience in Malta ahead of the upcoming World Triathlon Junior Championships in Spain.
Both coached by Hayden Wilde’s mentor Craig Kirkwood, Cornwall (Palmerston North) was 9th in the junior girls final and Oliver (Tauranga) 10th in the boys decider at Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Salini.
Auckland’s Olivia Rooney was 16th after also impressively qualifying for the girls final while Cantabrian Benjamin Airey wisely decided to pull out on the run while near the front of his heat to save himself for the October 17-20 worlds in Torremolinos- Andalusia.
Airey had been feeling poorly in the lead-up to the super sprint racing in Malta and later tested positive for COVID-19. He withdrew from the following day’s mixed relay where New Zealand claimed an unofficial fourth with an Estonian ring-in, Gert Martin Savitsch (pictured second from left in main image), who had finished 35th individually.
The quartet now head to Tri NZ’s Spanish base of Banyoles to prep for the junior worlds where they will race individually on October 18. The entire trip is a launch pad for what Tri NZ hope will be long careers at international level.
As Cornwall says, the lessons began as soon as she departed Auckland International.
“The travel over was definitely a shock, a shock to the system. The longest flight I’ve ever done is 8 hours, so travelling for two days is definitely different,” Cornwall said.
“You feel like the whole jet lag thing, and everything just affects you for a few days. So lucky we did actually have a few days before the race, but still probably wasn’t enough to feel 100 percent.”
As such, Cornwall did well to place 8th in semifinal 1 won by Aussie Aspen Anderson who would go on to claim the girls title. Rooney was 11th in semifinal 2 with the top 14 in each heat advancing to the final.
“The semi final, obviously, I didn’t have much expectations, so I wasn’t too nervous because I didn’t really know, I had no pressure on myself,” Cornwall continued.
“I actually had a good swim in the semi, it was quite a fast start, but in the final there were just so many girls, and I’ve never experienced something like that. We just got pushed so far back. But, yeah, it’s definitely something to learn from having a faster start.”
Rooney, who is coached by Nick Codyre, concurred.
“Yeah, the 1st semifinal, didn’t have such a good swim. Tried something new. Tried to go up in the middle on the start line. Decided that I’m definitely a person who likes to swim in clear water. So I got to try that for the final,” Rooney said.
“Managed to get a good swim and got into a decent bike group, but then just after closing the gap on the bike, didn’t have much in the legs on the run, which was disappointing. But made it up in mixed relay the next day.”
The quartet left New Zealand with temperatures in the mid teens Celsius and have had to quickly adapt to Malta days of around 27/28 degrees with humidity to boot. That, for Rooney, has been the toughest challenge so far.
“So that’s my first overseas experience, first international race and a there’s lot more competition in the European countries than in Oceania,” Rooney said.
“I wasn’t sure of how the competition was going to line up, didn’t know many of the girls apart from the one Australian chick that I had raced before. I didn’t feel as affected from the flight whatsoever, I felt pretty normal but the few days prior were hot. It was hard adapting to the heat, to say the least.”
Oliver advanced to the final with second place in his heat behind Márton Kropkó, the Hungarian who would go on to claim the overall bronze. Airey, meanwhile, DNF’d in boy’s semifinal 1.
“The heat went really well. I was in a breakaway pack and came 2nd, even chilling on the run,” Oliver said.
“But the final wasn’t as good after I sort of got pushed around at the end of the bike and ended up last and out of transition. So it was a bit too much work to try and chase them back up so I came 10th.
“The relay the next day went really well and we got a decent lead. it’s a shame we didn’t have Ben because we could have done quite well.”
The last word went to Cornwall who was asked for her overall thoughts on the Malta experience.
“It’s definitely positive. I think a lot of learnings to take away for worlds and definitely good to get that racing in, especially since I’ve only ever, like, my biggest race was only in Napier, where it’s just like Oceania people [Cornwall was 3rd behind Anderson and fellow Aussie Isla Watson at the Oceania Junior Championships in Feb.],” Cornwall said.
“So, it’s interesting to see how the Europeans race, which is good.”
Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Salini.
(350m swim, 9.6km bike, 2.5km run)
Junior Women’s Final
1. Jarno Pousada Troitiño (ESP) 26:46
2. Gregor Rasva (EST) 26:53
3. Márton Kropkó (HUN) 26:57
Also NZL
10. Finnley Oliver 27:18
DNF. Benjamin Airey DNF
Junior Women’s Final
1. Aspen Anderson (AUS) 30:32
2. Cristina Jímenez-Orta Guerrero (ESP) 30:33
3. Liis Kapten (EST) 30:35
Also NZL
9.Hayley Cornwall 31:02
16. Olivia Rooney 31:28
Junior Mixed Relay
1. Spain 01:40:58
2. Australia 01:41:02
3. Estonia 01:41:35
