Commonwealth Games 2022 triathlon: Natalie Van Coevorden in hunt for Australian medal
A Campbelltown triathlete has put herself right in the mix for a medal at her first Commonwealth Games with a strong result in the UK the day her ticket to Birmingham was confirmed.
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Campbelltown’s Natalie Van Coevorden has struck a blow in her bid to make a big mark at her first Commonwealth Games with Australia’s best result at a major event in the UK.
The 29-year-old, who hails from Sydney’s west and was confirmed on the team heading to Birmingham on Sunday afternoon, is Australia’s highest ranked female on the world rankings in 13th place overall.
Her 11th place in the Leeds world series triathlon on the weekend lifted her three spots on the rankings ahead of her first Commonwealth Games appearance.
Kingscliffe’s Brandon Copeland and Wollongong’s Charlotte McShane are the only other NSW athlete on the Commonwealth Games team.
Other members include defending men’s champion Jake Birtwhistle from Tasmania, Queensland’s Matt Hauser and Sophie Linn. Linn and Hauser won automatic selection with a win on the Gold Goast earlier this year.
In Leeds Birtwhistle was the best placed Australian man in 21st place in Leeds.
Sisters Kira and Jaz Hedgeland finished 24th and 28th respectively with former Olympian Emma Jackson 35th and Linn 40th.
In the mixed relay event, which will also be raced at the Commonwealth Games, Australia also finished well outside the medals in sixth place.
Australia has lost its stature as one of the top triathlon countries in the world in recent times and finished the Tokyo Olympics without a single medal. This followed on from a medal-less Rio Olympics
No Australian man has ever won an Olympic triathlon medal.
McShane has made it onto the team after a battle with a back injury.
“Somehow I’ve made it out the other side, with more love and appreciation for the sport than I could have imagined,” she said.
“I am in a really good place physically and mentally, surrounded by an amazing support team, and I know I have so much progression left in me over the next couple of months.”
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