Junior triathletes showed off their skills in Saturday’s Apple Triathlon in Kelowna.
Michael Milic, 17, of Delta won first place in the male junior elite category with a time of 56:03.
This was Milic’s third Apple Triathlon.
“This year it was the best race I could have hoped for really,” said Milic. “I got out there with three other guys who were totally committed on the bike, and we got a gap on the bike and held on to it in the run.”
Brennen Smith, 17, of Victoria came in second in the male junior elite category. He was close behind Milic with a time of 56:24.
“The run was a challenge, but I’m really happy with the swim,” said Smith.
This was his fourth time participating in the Apple Triathlon.
Desirae Ridenour, 15, of Cowichan Bay finished first in the female junior elite category.
She has been competing in the Apple Triathlon since she was six or seven years old.
However, every race brings new challenges, she said.
“(Triathlons) are challenging and every race is different, so you have to adapt to every race you do. I was glad I came out with the front pack in the swim, then we all worked together pretty well on the bike.”
Ridenour’s time was 1:01:40.
Seconds behind Ridenour was Hannah Henry of Victoria with a time of 1:01:59.
Henry, 15, has also participated in the Apple Triathlon many times, having competed since she was eight or nine years old.
“It’s fun to combine the three sports together that are my favorite three sports,” said Henry.
Her favorite part of the race is the run, but she was happy to improve on the swim portion this time.
“I usually come out in the second pack out of the water, so I was really happy to be in the front pack,” she said.
Along with the junior elite races on Saturday were the Kids of Steel races, the Try-a-tri, open water swim and corporate cup.
The Apple Triathlon continues Sunday with the age group sprint and Olympic-distance races beginning at 7:15 am A total of 1,200 athletes are competing in the various events of this year’s Apple Triathlon.
