James triumphs

James Castagne-Hay is only 12-years-old, but competing at the 2024 Olympic Games is already one of the goals of this young triathlete.

James was one of the standout athletes for TT at the 2018 Carifta Triathlon and Aquathlon Championships at Turtle Beach in Tobago, last weekend.

The form one Fatima College student won gold in the boys 11 to 12 triathlon event in 18 minutes and 37 seconds (18:37), which required the competitors to swim 200 metres, ride five kilometres and run for 1.25 kilometres.

James also copped bronze in the boys 11 to 12, 1.25-kilometre run in four minutes and 24 seconds (4:24).

“I felt very good and proud about it,” James told Newsday Kids about his performance.

James says he did improve on his performance from last Carifta saying, “Last year, I was 11 and this year I am 12, so I was at the top of the age group this year.” James said he enjoys riding the most because he always loved cycling, but knows his running needs some work.

“Probably my run (I need to improve on), because I had to skip a lot of running training when I started doing the swimming (training) in the morning, so my run did fall a lot.”

Leading up to Carifta, James trained every day in swimming, running or riding and it seemed to pay off. Some mornings, James would swim before school and said it is challenging sometimes to train early in the morning and attend school after. James, who also does martial arts, said TT Olympic sailor Andrew Lewis is one of his heroes. James got the opportunity to interact with the Olympian while he was attending St Andrew’s Private School. The meeting seemed to have an impact on James.

“When I was in my old school he (Lewis) came to our school before I left, and he was talking to everybody there and that was nice. He told us about a bunch of motivational stuff and perseverance and stuff like that,” James said.

James, who has been competing in triathlon since he was five and six years old, says competing at the Olympic Games has been a target of his for a number of years.

“That has been my goal for a long time, pretty much since I knew of the Olympics maybe (when I was) seven or eight.” James does not only have Lewis to emulate, as two members of his family are also triathletes.

“I have two cousins who do it with me, they are both older. They are both 17,” James said about his cousins Rachel Grosberg and Jonathan Thompson. At any youth sports event there is always passionate parents cheering on their children. Anybody who has attended a triathlon meet will know that triathlon parents are as supportive as it gets. Parents ensure they position themselves along the triathlon route to cheer on the competitors.

James’ mother, Isabel, said support is important saying, “The parents have to give support otherwise there is no way to make it, especially as they start to advance (in the sport) and they have to make all their training fit in.”

James will not have much time to rest, as he will compete at the Beacon Cycling on the Avenue event this coming Wednesday. James will take part in the duathlon (run/ride) segment for the primary and secondary school students.