Gilfillan dips toe in triathlon

COURTNEY GILFILLAN

COURTNEY GILFILLAN is still running.

And now she is swimming and cycling as well.

The 20-year-old from The Channon is in Europe mixing it with some of the most durable athletes in the world as part of the Australian high-performance triathlon squad.

The seven-week program is designed to lift young athletes to a new level, and there is plenty of racing as well.

In just her fourth professional race – the Karlovy Vary ITU Triathlon European Cup in the Czech Republic last week – Gilfillan finished just outside the medals in fourth.

“Very, very happy with that,” she said.

“Competing for Australia over here and being in the mix is amazing.

“This is the biggest experience of my career and it is all going great.”

Triathlon is all hard work but Gilfillan, like those cyclists who suffer through the Tour de France, gets to see some sights along the way.

“I was in camp for a week in France with the Aussie team and we rode up the hills where the tour went – wow, they were tough, but it’s amazing riding there,” she said.

Now based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Gilfillan is preparing for her next race – the elite world duathlon championships on Sunday.

The weather isn’t much like that of her home town but training done on the Northern Rivers will be vital when Gilfillan presses her claims over the course, which demands 15km of running and 40km on the bike.

“It will be a very hilly course just like the hills back home so I will be well prepared,” she said.

“I’ve done a lot of work out there at The Channon on those hills.”

Fingers crossed she can crank it up another notch.