Queenslander Richelle Hill found the courage to win the Oceania championship in Devonport
How one of Australia’s triathlon young guns staved off a huge challenge to win a thriller in the 40th anniversary Devonport Triathlon. What she said.
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Australian pair Brandon Copeland and Richelle Hill dominated the 2025 Oceania Triathlon Championship in Devonport at the weekend in near perfect conditions for the 40th anniversary event on the state’s North-West Coast.
After finishing fourth at last year’s event, Copeland took a commanding win in the men’s elite race while Hill pulled off a courageous come-from-behind win in the elite women’s event.
Hill, of Queensland, won both under-23 and open women’s titles.
To take the double crowns, Hill held off fellow Aussie Lauren Kerwick in second and trans-Tasman rival Nicole van der Kay in third.
After clinging onto the lead pack in the opening swim and bike legs, Hill said she knew it would come down to the final run.
Leading on the first two laps of the run, Hill sensed Kerwick chasing her down, and despite being overtaken, Hill had enough in the tank for a sprint finish.
“I haven’t been making that front pack so it was a confidence boost to come out of the swim with the front pack,” Hill said.
“I love a challenging bike course, so that ticked that box too. And I went out hard on the run and just tried to hold it.
“I was happy to bring it home strong.”
With the event celebrating a big milestone, Hill was proud to add her name to the growing list of Devonport champions.
“It’s pretty unreal, I keep on seeing the announcements about all the legends who have won here, so it was really good to put my name up there,” she said.
Copeland claimed a commanding win over Kiwi James Corbett, with Aussie Lachlan Jones third.
“I’m pretty stoked with that one - it’s a tough sport and it’s hard to get all three legs firing at once,” Copeland said.
“It came together, so I’m super grateful. It’s been a while since I’ve had a win so it’s just nice to put the arms up again.
Corbett flew past about 1.5kms into the run.
“Thankfully I found my form again and I was really happy with the run in the end,” Copeland said.
“If you look back at the honour roll of this race it’s stacked with Aussie and Kiwi talent, so I’m absolutely over the moon to win.
“I won this race in 2018 as an elite, and now it’s 2025 so I’m starting to feel like one of the veterans.”
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