TRIATHLON: Australia’s latest rising triathlon star Aaron Royle has admitted that the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final and a berth on the Glasgow Commonwealth Games team were the furthest things from his mind when he lay isolated in a Spanish Hospital three months ago.

After Sunday’s race he leaves London, having played a major role in one of the most dramatic ITU finals in the sport’s history which also earned him a nomination on his first major Games team.

Royle finished seventh against one of the toughest fields ever assembled – attaining Triathlon Australia’s automatic Commonwealth Games qualification of a Top 8 finish in the ITU Grand Final – in a race that not even the finest British script writers could have foreseen.

Three of the world’s greatest triathletes – Britain’s home grown heroes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee and Spain’s Javier Gomez were widely tipped to replicate their Olympic re-match around the same course that hosted one of the major highlights of last year’s Olympic Games.

To the winner would go the spoils – the 2013 World Championship – decided on points after eight gruelling World Triathlon Series rounds.

But a painful Achilles injury saw Olympic gold medallist Alistair hobble into 52nd place – at times urging his brother to attack as he and Gomez duelled in a stunning head-to-head battle to the finish.

First Gomez and then Brownlee would trade attacks on the run around a Hyde Park course draped in a sea of Union Jacks until Brownlee opened up a one metre lead on the Spaniard and the crowd erupted.

But Gomez wasn’t finished and surged past Brownlee with a final burst of speed that edged him over the line first – both athletes collapsing, lying on the ground exhausted.

It was sport at its wholesome, dramatic best.

But as far as the young Australian Royle, who won the under-23 world title a year ago in Auckland, was concerned a top eight finish was “as good as gold.”

The Wollongong-based 23-year-old from Newcastle had spent 10 days in isolation in a clinic in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country in June after falling ill following a Grand Prix race a week after the ITU round in Madrid.

Doctors found a 12mm abscess on his left lung, initially believing it to be either tuberculosis or a tumour but it was later found he had suffered two “nasty bacterial infections” causing pneumonia and the abscess.

“I’m really proud of not only the way I handled my time in the hospital but how I was able to mentally and physically come back from that,” a rain drenched Royle reflected after the race.

“There was plenty of self doubt coming back too. It took a long time to get that last couple of percent and you start to doubt yourself.

“Maybe my lung isn’t repaired or maybe I’m still not fully not 100 percent? You’ve just got to get over that.

“That’s probably what I’m most proud of. Making the Commonwealth Games will be a very proud moment for me but the fact that I was able to overcome something that could have put me out for the season and finish off the Series well with a seventh here.

“I just went out there today with the plan to have a good race. I knew if I had a good race then a top eight was certainly possible - I was counting along for that cut off as I was running, especially when I started to fade a little bit towards the end.”

Royle was in the race from the outset, exiting the water in second place ahead of the Brownlee boys and with training partner and good friend Ryan Bailie producing the best swim of his career to come out in 12th with the other two Australians Dan Wilson and Cameron Good very much in the hunt.

Royle and Bailie then joined a group of 12 as they worked to stay in touch in a pack that was at times urged on by Johnny Brownlee to share the work load as his brother and the Australian boys set a cracking pace up front.

But as the run started to unfold it was obvious Alistair was in a lot of trouble, grimacing and limping but still showing the tenacity of an Olympic champion.

“It was probably one of the hardest races I’ve done to be honest and although I felt good, there was just no let up,” Royle said.

“I rode hard because I knew there were some pure, strong runners in the second group and I would have liked a little bit more time than the 30 seconds we had established after the bike but it ended up being enough to hang on to a top eight.

“Realistically at the start of the year I was aiming for a Top Ten in the WTS and I just missed that with an eleventh but even still I’m pretty happy with that and my seventh  in the Grand Final and a place on the Commonwealth Games team.”

Bailie, like Royle was in his first Elite Grand Final and while they were in the thick of the lead group for much of the race, Wilson and Good also produced strong performances, driving hard to keep the chase pack in touch.

In the end, Wilson, who has battled chronic injuries himself in recent years, ran on strongly to finish 18th with Good, very much on a steep learning curve under astute coach Darren Smith came in with a solid 21st, while Bailie crossed the line in 28th after working like a Trojan in the swim and on the bike.

It capped a promising week for the Australian team with both Charlottle McShane winning gold in the women’s Under 23s race; Bill Chaffey gold in the Para Tri 1 event; bronze medals to Declan Wilson in the men’s Under 23s and Emma Moffatt in the Women’s Elite, with two automatic Commonwealth Games positions to boot.

Triathlon Australia’s Performance Manager Bernard Savage, in his first major Triathlon World Championship Grand Final is excited about what he saw.

“There is no doubt these results exceeded expectations, from our Juniors and Under 23s to the Elites it was incredibly encouraging across the board,” said Savage.

“Going forward it will create a platform for Rio and beyond to the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast and the 2020 Olympics in Japan

“Our women have been traditionally strong and they again showed that here but it was very pleasing to have a male achieve what he did today and secure automatic Commonwealth Games nomination - full marks to Aaron and his coach Jamie Turner.

“From where he has come from he can now take himself to the next sphere and it won’t be long before he finds himself challenging for the podium in these races.

“It is testament to his character; the guy is a tough competitor who obviously had his doubts but he’s got a competitive streak in him and I was impressed with the way he and all the athletes handled and prepared themselves this week.

“The whole team, from the athletes to the coaches and the support staff have all done a fantastic job to prepare and race well.

“The support they provided for each other was fantastic and I’m excited about the future. We’ll look back on London 2013 as a great launching pad for the next seven years.”

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GOLD – Charlotte McShane Under 23s Women

BRONZE - Declan Wilson (Under 23s Men)

BRONZE – Emma Moffatt (Elite Womens)

Triathlon Australia