With just over six weeks to go until this year’s Commonwealth Games, Northern Ireland has named its triathlon team of six athletes: Eimear Mullan, Aileen Reid, Emma Sharkey, Conor Murphy, Harry Speers and Russell White.
Among the athletes chosen, Mullan is a former Ironman UK winner, while Reid came second in last year's WTS Grand Final, and Sharkey came 13th in the junior women’s race. Out of the men, Murphy came 22nd in the opening Auckland stage of this year’s WTS series, while White came 48th in Yokohama last month, and 18-year-old Speers is yet to make his WTS debut.
Northern Ireland will be taking a total of 117 athletes to Glasgow next month, who will be competing across 14 sports, as it looks to build towards the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. The triathlon events are being held over Olympic distance at Strathclyde Country Park, with the men's and women's finals taking place on Thursday 24 July and the mixed relay being held on Saturday 26 July.
Wales named its own triathlon squad last week, and looks firm favourite for at least one medal in the women’s race, thanks to the presence of reigning ITU champion Non Stanford and former champ Helen Jenkins. Australia and New Zealand have also confirmed their own tri teams, while England and Scotland are expected to do so shortly. Watch this space…
(Main image: Delly Carr/ITU)