Triathlon pair competing at Junior World Championships in Spain

Alexis Lashley and Luke McIntyre will plunge into action on Thursday in Pontevedra, Spain, where they are representing Barbados at the Junior World Triathlon Championships.

Alexis will hit the water at 4:15 a.m. Barbados time, while Luke’s race is set for 5:45 a.m.

Speaking exclusively to Barbados TODAY from Spain, Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes President Dr Garth McIntyre said the build-up to the event has gone smoothly.

“Both athletes came through a qualification process, which was the Americas championship in Chile, in early July. They have both been training consistently through the summer and have had a good block of training leading up to the competition, with no setbacks.

“Since our arrival, they also got in some nice training sessions leading into the race in terms of swims and runs, and they’re actually out on a bike ride now as we are speaking,” he added.

According to Dr McIntyre, race conditions in Spain are likely to suit the Barbadian pair, with the main difference being the relatively wide fluctuations in temperature. 

“The temperatures tend to range from 16 to 32 C, so we will have to see what it will be like at race time. The water, however, is still cool and is right on the borderline of whether they will need to have the option of wearing a wetsuit or not. 

“The wetsuits do give you a bit of an advantage in the water, so most competitors will take the option if it is available. We will have to wait and see,” Dr McIntyre added.

The level of competition at the Junior World Championships is likely to be intense. As such, Dr McIntyre is realistic in his expectations for the talented duo.

“It might sound like we’re selling ourselves short, but we really are focused on them having a good race in terms of execution and taking advantage of situations as they present themselves. 

“We’re really focusing on development, because both of them will have another shot at this particular event,” he revealed.

The president said this is a much tougher level of competition than the pair would have experienced before, so there will not be any disappointment from the Barbadian fraternity, regardless of the final results.

He noted that despite what is sure to be stiff competition, he wants the pair to enjoy the race and broaden their base of experience.

“It’s almost like this is the preparatory race for next year, to see what they need to do and where they’re at. I mean, if we get any surprises and they do really well, we’ll be thrilled, but it’s going to be tough to come up with a great final position in this one,” he explained.

(KH)