Triathlon History

Sean always enjoyed sport as a kid and would often partake in as many as six sports at a time while growing up. However, it was the individual pursuits that delivered the most satisfaction and saw Sean move towards sports such as cycling and running. From the age of six Sean would ride 5km’s each way to school and back on a BMX bike through the surrounding hills until he met cycling legend Henk Vogels. Henk soon got Sean on a 2nd hand Ricardo racing bike which would start Sean’s enthusiasm for cycling. Sean also excelled in cross-country running at school and was persuaded by a teacher at the time to try a local triathlon.

Not realizing this would be his first and last triathlon for many years, Sean took part in a club race at the Midvale Speed Dome which would see him last out of the water but eventually finish the race in first place. Much to his disappointment, Sean’s family moved to a remote mining town where he attended boarding school and was unable to pursue his passion of triathlon for five years.

This led to a burning desire to take up the sport as soon as Sean finished high school and within two years Sean had qualified on the Australian Age Group team for the 2003 Olympic Distance World Championships. Sean finished in 3rd place which enabled him to take up a pro license and race the following summer at the Athens Olympic trials. While working full time Sean has found it difficult to compete at the elite level in triathlon but is confident that with the right approach and balance he can still achieve outstanding results.

Sean has won the Western Australian Triathlete of the Year title five times, placed 4th at the Busselton Half Ironman for the past 3 years and finished 9th and 10th respectively at the South Korean Continental Cup and Noumea International Triathlon. While these results are encouraging they are far from what Sean believes to be his best achievement.

In May 2009 Sean was granted the final place on the Australian Elite team for the ITU Long Course World Championships. With the event being held in Perth on the Langley Park foreshore, Sean will have the chance to compete in front of friends and family on home soil. This will be the ultimate chance for Sean to prove that he is capable of racing against the worlds best and with the right result, launch a career in long course triathlon.