Ryan Bailie books place at Rio Olympics in Australia’s triathlon squad after Gold Coast race

TOO small for his dream of playing AFL, Ryan Bailie is the perfect fit for triathlon, snaring a spot on the plane to Rio at the World Series race on the Gold Coast.

Too small for his dream of playing AFL, Ryan Bailie has proved the perfect fit for triathlon, snaring a spot on the plane heading to the Rio Olympics at the World Series race on the Gold Coast.

The 60-kilo triathlete based in Wollongong, south of Sydney, snared the one automatic berth on offer at the event to join good mate Aaron Royle on the Australian Olympic team.

Bailie fell just short of making it onto the podium in the race won by Spaniard Mario Molo from compatriot Afernando Alarza and British racer Jonathon Brownlee.

But his fourth placing was enough to secure him a spot at his maiden Olympics in August.

“Six years ago if you said I’d be heading to the Olympic Games I would have laughed,’’ said Bailie who has only been in the sport that amount of time.

Bailie struggled with calf issues in the final leg of the 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run but managed to cross as first Australian — the requirement for an automatic spot on the triathlon Olympics team.

He finished just ahead of Rio Olympic hopeful Ryan Fischer in fifth with Jake Birtwhistle 9th, Royle 17th and Courtney Atkinson 29th.

Around three hours earlier Emma Moffatt secured her spot at a third Games with her top-10 placing in the women’s event.

Despite being one of the strongest triathlon nations in the world for the first two decades or so of the sport, Australia’s men have failed to replicate the feats of our women in winning medals at the Olympic Games.

To date not one man has made it onto the Olympic podium since the sports Games debut back in 2000.

Both Aaron Royal, who gained an early selection last year, and Bailie have the potential to do so in Rio with their third team-mate to be chosen at the discretion of selectors.

Originally published as Ryan Bailie books place at Rio Olympics in Australia’s triathlon squad after Gold Coast race