UQ SPORT scholarship holders Annabel Luxford and Adam Carlton produced some great racing at the 2007 Australian Triathlon Championships held in Geelong recently.
Luxford continued her fantastic summer form finishing second in a time of 2:04:20 behind newly crowned Australian Champion Erin Densham.
Taking on the high calibre international field Luxford showed her experience with a solid race strategy, maintaining a strong pace throughout the 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run.
Rising star of Australian triathlon Adam Carlton also displayed great courage racing third in the men’s U23 category.
Carlton finished in a time of 1:54:19 placing him as the 8th fastest Australian and the 13th fastest competitor in the overall rankings.
Recovering from a broken wrist Carlton said his preparation was less than ideal.
“It was only four weeks ago in Penrith when I crashed and broke my wrist,” he said.
“It was a tough race and considering my preparation, I was very happy with the result.”
Carlton’s race was in doubt after a slow swim leg saw him come out of the water in 58th position.
It took throwing his strategy out the window and recording the fastest bike leg of the race to regain position.
“I had the worst swim I have ever had,” Carlton said.
“It wasn't until the last lap of the eight lap bike course that I caught up to the front pack, luckily my legs hung in there for the run.
“It was certainly not the ideal way to race - I had heaps of my family down there and I gave them a real scare.”
The event was a great hit out for Carlton who is now gearing up to compete at the New Zealand National Championships in Wellington at the end of March.
He will be pitted against Australia’s best triathletes to compete for a place in the national team at the 2007 World Championships in Hamburg in August.
Media: Melina Stephanos at UQ SPORT (07 3366 7519, melinas@uqsport.uq.edu.au)
