TRIATHLON: Brittany Dutton is on her way to the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) after overcoming injury and is ready to run her way to the finish line.
“I feel ecstatic to finally be declared for YOG. After injury setting me back, I can't wait to get out there and show people what I am capable of,” the sixteen-year-old said.
The talented triathlete produced an outstanding performance at the Youth Olympic Games qualifier in January this year to finish first and confirm her spot in the Australian Youth Olympic Team.
“I came into that race ranked 3rd and to come away with the win was everything I could've wished for,” the Queenslander said.
A short time after Dutton’s amazing result, the teenager went down with injury and was unsure about her chances of making Nanjing.
The three time Australian Junior Champion showed her true spirit and is now very much looking forward to competing at the Youth Olympics after being declared fit.
Dutton started out as a youngster competing in the three sports individually as well as finding interest in track cycling.
After showing promise in each sport, Dutton’s parents thought it would be a great idea to combine them all and participate in triathlons.
Skip a few years and Dutton is now one of the finest young triathletes in the country and knows the Youth Olympics is great way to further her career.
“It's a stepping stone for me and I can gain a lot of experience which will push me in the right direction for hopefully something like the Olympics,” Dutton confirmed.
In the build up to Nanjing, Dutton will be training harder than ever and will also be competing overseas for the first time.
“I have Osaka coming up in about two weeks which will give me experience for my first International Race and will be great preparation for Nanjing,” Dutton said.
Josh White, the coach of Dutton will be heading to Nanjing as the triathlon coach and she couldn’t be happier.
“He (Josh) can help me with my lead up and all my training. Josh helps keep me motivated and helps me set goals in training that I know I can achieve by pushing myself,” Dutton added.
“Competing in the YOG will help me greatly. I get to race against different countries which will show me what I need to work on in my training to make me become a better athlete,” Dutton said.
Dutton and teammate Matthew Hauser will race at Xuanwu Lake with the individual events being held on the 17 and 18 August and the team format taking place on 21 August.
Phillip Brent
olympics.com.au
@AUSOlympicTeam
