Triathlon New Zealand and the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) today confirmed the two athletes that will represent New Zealand at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore from 14 to 16 August this year.
And they come from both ends of the country with Maddie Dillon (Auckland) and Aaron Barclay (Gore) chosen to wear the silver fern in Singapore. Fittingly, both are New Zealand Schools Champions following great performances at the Contact Schools Nationals at Karapiro in March while Maddie is also the current U19 age group World Champion.
Triathlon New Zealand Assistant National Coach Stephen Sheldrake says both have big futures in the sport.
"Tri NZ has identified both Maddie and Aaron as athletes with real potential. Maddie was included in our 2016 High Performance Squad following her strong performance at the World Championships on the Gold Coast last year while Aaron was selected to that same squad in April on the basis of a strong summer.
"Singapore is a wonderful opportunity for both at this stage of their careers and development. So much of making the transition from promising junior to fully fledged elite athlete is around experience and how individuals cope with the added stress and pressure of racing overseas in high quality events. Singapore will provide that environment for both Maddie and Aaron while enjoying the strong support network provided by both Tri NZ and the NZOC."
NZOC secretary general, Barry Maister, says that development pathways are critical in building elite athletes and that the Youth Olympic Games are part of this pathway.
"In addition to providing high performance, multi-sport experiences for young athletes, the Youth Olympics has an education and culture programme. This programme compliments the competitive side of the games and promotes the development of balanced athletes performing at the top of their game."
Aaron is looking forward to his first international experience.
"I'm very excited to get selected for the Youth Olympics team; it's a huge honour to race for New Zealand and definitely a highlight of my sporting career so far. This will be my first big race on the world scene at elite level, so is very exciting. It will be a great build up one month out from World Champs.
"I hope to have a good race, I'll give it everything I've got and do my best. It'll be tough adjusting to the humidity and temperature after training in Southland all winter in fairly cold conditions, but it will be a great learning experience which is what it's all about. Obviously, the podium is the goal for me the race, but just making it to the start line is an achievement in itself."
Meanwhile Maddie is just as excited and has set her goals high.
"It's fantastic to be selected for the YOG and represent New Zealand and triathlon in such a prestigious event. It will be great to race against the top girls worldwide before I get to the world champs in Hungary. I am hoping to come home with a medal but with the calibre of competition I really just want to give those girls a run for their money. As this is my first trip outside Oceania this is invaluable experience for the future and I can't wait to go!"
Both Maddie and Aaron will continue on to the World Championships in Budapest following Singapore, spending the interim at the Tri NZ High Performance base in Germany, training with the other elite squad members as they continue to gain experience and soak up the lessons offered by the coaching team and the likes of Bevan Docherty, Kris Gemmell and Andrea Hewitt.
The Youth Olympic Games run from the 14th – 26th August. Singapore will host 3600 athletes between 14 and 18 years of age from all 205 National Olympic Committees. The athletes will compete in the 26 sports on the London 2012 Olympic Games programme. Alongside the competition, there will be a cultural education programme for the athletes which will promote the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.
Singapore Youth Olympics
Triathlon Representatives
Maddie Dillon, Kristin School (Auckland)
Coach: Ally Boggs/Stephen Sheldrake
Aaron Barclay (Gore)
Coach: Sid Cummings
