Aaron Royle wins the under-23 world championship in Auckland. Picture: GETTY IMAGES
TRIATHLON
Wollongong triathlete Aaron Royle broke through for his maiden ITU world championship on Saturday in Auckland.
Royle put in a strong all-round performance to capture the under-23 title, snapping a 10-year drought for Australia in that division.
After patiently pacing himself in the lead group through the swim and bike legs, Royle out-sprinted Spain's Fernando Alarza and Great Britain's Thomas Bishop in the final run leg, claiming victory in one hour, 57 minutes and 17 seconds.
"I had to stay relaxed during that run," Royle said.
"I just wanted to watch from the back and see how everyone was looking. My plan was to wait until that very last minute and try and hold on for the sprint.
"It's sometimes hard to do that because you can get a little bit anxious but I just stayed patient and it worked out for me."
Royle narrowly missed selection for the London Olympics and his win in Auckland will help his bid for a place in the Australian team for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
Britain's Jonathan Brownlee kept the men's triathlon world title in the family, coming second to Spain's Javier Gomez in the world series grand final in Auckland.
The 22-year-old Yorkshireman's second was enough for him to succeed brother Alistair, the Olympic champion, as holder of the title. Gomez, 29, a two-time world champion and London Olympic silver medallist, finished the series second.
