Local teen honouredto make State squad

A local young athlete is set to make a big impression on the State and national triathlon circuit in 2019.

Jesse Evans, 17, was selected to be part of the WA State Triathlon team after competing in State Schools Championships for the past three years.

Evans said it was “a great honour” to be selected for the squad, despite living in Broome.

“I feel like it would have been easier for them to pick someone from a metro area,” he laughed.

“But I guess being consistent and proving myself with good results has helped.

“I couldn’t attend all events that score points towards selections so I had to wait and hope the selectors would take a gamble on me, then I ended up being one of six competitors in my age group that were chosen.”

Throughout the year, Evans will meet with the rest of the team and his coach in Perth as they work towards competing at the National Championships in May on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

“I’m not expecting great results at nationals but I know I’ll learn a lot for future events,” Evans said.

The young athlete has already begun his campaign, having competed in Perth last fortnight in the Pt Walter’s Australia Day Tri.

“I felt that I really gave it my best since I was up against some of WA’s best,” he said. “I won my age division and came tenth overall out of 359 competitors.

“It was a very technical race with lots of hills, sharp turns and speed bumps so I’m grateful not to come off.”

The WA State Triathlon selection adds to an even bigger year for Evans, as he heads into his Year 12 studies.

He said his teachers and friends had been very understanding and had been helping him stay on top of his ATAR studies.

“There’s always lots of students travelling for a range of sports,” he said.

“I have always trained morning and nights and hit the books late. I’m lucky that I don’t need huge amounts of sleep.

“This year is a step up, though, and I will need to travel more than before.

“Remote living and flying to events mean I often have to be away from school for three days for one event. Perhaps I’ll just have to wing it.”

Evans said he was also very grateful to the Broome community, with many sporting groups helping him hone his skills and push him towards success.

“There are so many people who are helping me improve and support me, everyone has been so kind,” he said.

“Particularly, the Broome Barracudas Swimming Club and my coach Toni Smith have helped me a lot as well as the Broome Tri Club, the Viper and Bogucki Riders’ cycling groups, the Broome Talent Development program, Broome Sports Association and Broome Cycles. They have been awesome.”