LAUNCESTON triathlete Jake Birtwhistle become the first Tasmania to qualify for next year’s Commonwealth Games with a fifth-place finish in the Gold Coast World Triathlon Series race on Saturday.
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The 22-year-old was the first Australian to cross the line in 53 minutes and three seconds – gaining automation qualification and making up for his Rio Olympics disappointment. He was about 40 seconds behind Spanish winner Mario Mola.
“I faded in the back end of the run and all I wanted to do was get to the finish. That was the hardest 5km I’ve had in a long time. I was suffering big time,” Birtwhistle said.
“I tried to hold them off and I was pushing with everything I had just to hold them off and I didn’t know if they were coming or not or whether it was my mind playing games.
“It was heartbreaking to miss the Olympics to get so close but my results have shown over the last 12 months that it was a year too early.”