New Triathlon President Carl Sharpe was left beaming after overseeing the first national championships held under his watch recently.

With no championship held in 2020 due the novel coronavirus pandemic, Sharpe and his newly elected administration were instrumental in the return of the sport.

But not only did they return triathlon to the sporting calendar in Jamaica, they brought a new and improved championship to the sporting landscape.

The addition of the duathlon and aquathlon events to the usual sprint triathlon resulted in a large turnout of younger athletes, many of whom participated in the newly added disciplines.

“The turnout was unbelievable,” said a delighted Sharpe. “We had over 70 participants and there were a lot of young people and a lot of older people as well, in other words we had a real great mix in age groups and they had a fantastic time.”

Sharpe admitted that it was not easy pulling off the event but is looking forward to better things in the future.

“We may have had a hiccup here or there but it’s all good for the future. It was a fantastic event.

“The overall administration of the championships was challenging because we had five events, whereas before we had only one and as such it did present a challenge for our administration, however, I think we pulled through. It is a learning process for us and we will actually do an improved event in the future and we anticipate a larger turnout in the future,” he said

The new president will also be aiming to move the date of the national championships from year end to a more favourable time in the summer.

“We believe that to have our national championships this late in the year does us a bit of a disservice and we would like to have it earlier in the year, preferably around May/June so that the participants and especially the winners who will be representing Jamaica in international competition will be in a better frame of mind and a better level of fitness for those events,” Sharpe noted.

According to him, a summer move will give Jamaican athletes a shot at better performances at the global events in which they participate each year.

“It will fall in line with the summer events that normally happen like the Pan American, Central American Games, Olympic Games and also with the Carifta Triathlon/Aquathlon Championships that we are participating in,” he stated.

Children as young as 15 years old participated in the event staged at Port Royal this year.

— Dwayne Richards