AustrAliAn triAthlete | 17Jake birtwhistle
“What I liked after talking to Joel was
that Richard and Mario don’t follow the
same training program, and contrary to
what a lot of people would think, they are
not out there pushing each other all the
time on the run.”
“They are different kinds of athletes
and Joel has given them different training
programs. That is something that sits
pretty well with me, as I am not looking to
go into a group environment and be one of
the group. I want to go into an
environment that is very specific to my
needs, and it sounds like Joel will be very
good for that.”
Jake said the Commonwealth Games
on the Gold Coast in 2018 is a massive
priority for him and will be his primary focus.
“Obviously, I will be racing the WTS and
doing all that through the year, and trying
to keep progressing there but the
medium-term goal is the Commonwealth
Games. It is exciting because it is not only
my first big championship and a big
Games event, but for it to be in Australia
as well makes it that little bit cooler as
well. It is going to be awesome to have the
home support.”
The success, or otherwise, of this move
remains to be seen, and we can only wish
Jake well in what has to be the biggest
decision of his career.
But with the fate of the nation’s leading
athlete and our number one Olympic
medal hope now being in the hands of an
international, there must be some raised
eyebrows at Triathlon Australia.