Triathlon Federation praises Commonwealth athletes

THE TRINIDAD and Tobago Triathlon Federation (TTTF) is proud of the efforts made by this country’s triathletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, especially the mixed relay team.

The Games ended on August 8.

TT was represented in the triathlon by Jason Costelloe (elite individual men’s event, mixed relay), Jenna Ross (elite individual women’s event, mixed relay), Jean Marc Granderson (mixed relay) and Kaya Rankine Beadle (mixed relay).

A TTTF media release said, “These individuals opened a new chapter for the sport locally by becoming the first mixed relay triathlon team to participate at an international event.”

Before the mixed relay race, the elite individual races were held.

Out of the field of 45 men, Costelloe finished 32nd in a time of one hour, two minutes and six seconds (1:02:06) in a personal best.

In the women’s race, out of a field of 32, Ross finished 27th in a time of 1:07:45, also a personal best. She improved her previous Commonwealth Games time by three minutes.

Two days later, history was made when for the first time at a major event TT was able to field a mixed relay triathlon team. TT made its debut against 11 other teams, ten of which contained at least one professional triathlete.

The TTTF said, “While team England dominated the race from start to finish, team TTO gave a very creditable showing in front of TT Olympic Committee president Diane Henderson, who expressed her satisfaction on the team’s performance, having to pull back a four-minute lead to overcome team Barbados on the final kilometre of the run.”

All the TT athletes pulled their weight.

“Each athlete dug deep to deliver the best that they could...Of note, Kaya Rankine Beadle’s time was better than both of her Bajan counterparts, Jason Costelloe pulled back two minutes from the four-minute gap with a strong ride and run (and) Jenna Ross overhauled the gap between TT and Barbados and opened a further 39-second gap. TT had won over the hearts of many with the spirited fightback and never-say-die attitude.

“While TT finished 11th out of 12 teams, this was a good performance for many, reasons in particular the lack of race exposure to this type of racing, as well as the quality of the field.”

The TTTF has begun to build on the performance of the 2022 Commonwealth Games team and prepare for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games. The federation recently facilitated a swim clinic for the Carifta triathlon team and other aspiring athletes 11–21 and in November, the federation will stage its first National Relay Championships.