North West Triathletes celebrate Irish selection in European Triathlon Junior Cup

Two talented Derry Junior Triathletes are preparing to compete in prestigious championship, the European Triathlon Junior Cup in Dublin on 26th August as part of the Irish Triathlon Squad.

17-year-old Ryan Lundy from Claudy and 15-year-old Jude Williams, originally from Killywool, were delighted to be selected to race for Ireland on home soil in Phoenix Park.

Lumen Christi pupil Ryan said that the news only sank in when he was being measured for his Irish Triathlon suit:

“Getting to represent Ireland means a lot to me and worth every sacrifice and hard training session I have ever done.

“After we got the selectors email, everything went very fast, I had to complete a full heart assessment medical, and I had to attend a compulsory meeting on drugs in sport and what my responsibilities would be. 

“I won’t get my Irish Tri Suit until the day before the race and that will be a special moment for me - I hope I do it proud.  “Just knowing that it’s going to have my name on it, and that I’ll be wearing it to represent my country is a dream come true.” 

The selection for the Irish squad in the European Junior Cup is the second time that Limavady Grammar pupil Jude has received the honour of representing his country; he said:

“It feels absolutely amazing putting the Irish shirt on for the second time this year.

“I was lucky enough to be selected for the European Cup which took place in Holten, Holland in June but to be competing on Irish soil with an Irish shirt is really special.

“Getting selected for the Irish squad back in May was also very special – I had hoped to possibly secure a place on the team the year after – so it came early!

 “At 15 I will be one of the youngest on the start line in Dublin and was the youngest in Holland back in June.”Both boys have been competing in the triathlon discipline since they were young and are members of North West Triathlon Club, for whom they regularly compete in competitions around Ireland and beyond.

Ryan retained the junior title in the Crooked Lake Triathlon in Camlough in June and won his age group in Tri the Lough Sprint in Omagh recently, whilst Jude took third place on the podium in Loughrea Triathlon festival in Galway and competed in Irish National Swimming Championships in Dublin.

Both athletes had strong finishes in the Draft Legal Sprint National Championships in Co Kildare and the British Triathlon Super Series in Nottingham.

Ryan, whose sisters Amy and Ellie are also talented triathletes, said that the support that he has received from the triathlon community helped him to rise through the ranks to such a prominent position: “I am a member of PSBR (Performance Swim Bike Run) and NorthWest Triathlon Club here in Co Derry, both clubs have been very helpful to me, I can remember being in the PSBR Watt Bike studio as a small boy, watching my father and lots of other triathletes getting coached and put through their paces by Brendan Connor. 

“As soon as I was able to sit properly on a bike, Brendan was steering and preparing me for all things racing, I credit PSBR a lot for where I am today.

“With NWTC, I was very lucky too, even though I was in the junior ranks, the chairman at the time, Paul McGilloway, always invited me to club training days and I would have to say he was another person who was instrumental in keeping my focus in the sport, as he recognised that juniors had little or no options to race properly.“My coach, Sean McLauglin from NWTC is a phenomenal athlete himself, he loves the science behind training – especially Norwegian methodologies.  

“Everything I do is calculated and controlled by Sean, for me this is brilliant, I don’t have to think about my plan or training agenda, Sean puts my schedule up online and I simply hit the speed, effort, and power numbers. 

“Sean’s passion for the sport is what has brought me to this level of being selected for the Irish team, from the moment he took me under his wing, everything he has predicted for me has come true. 

“Apart from representing Ireland, my next biggest achievement in Triathlon will be the day I get to beat Sean in our local 'Liam Ball' race!

“In my early days, I swam for Limavady Swimming Club, and it has helped me to get where I am now.

“Back then, the Head Coach was Mervyn Kelly, who was a well-respected Ironman athlete and knew of my aspirations to become a triathlete; he was always positive and gave me swimming sets specifically for triathlon racing.” 

Jude also credits his friendly rivalry with Ryan for his success:

“Ryan and I also train together and support each other – he is a beast on the bike and I need the inspiration! 

“I also have a great coach in Sean McLaughlin – Sean keeps me motivated and helps me get the right balance between training and rest.

“Training has increased from around 12-14 hours a week to 20 plus over the summer months with this likely to increase further before we start to taper for the race.

“I needed more focus on my bike and have been trying to get the miles in!

“The focus will be being as competitive as possible in Dublin lining up against some of the best youth triathletes on the planet.”

Although both athletes have found it difficult at times to fit socialising and school around their demanding training schedule, Ryan, who hopes to study physiotherapy at Magee or Cardiff, explains that he tries to prioritise studying and racing:

 “The life of an athlete is a choice, you must want it and be prepared to make sacrifices. 

“Between Aquathons, Duathlons, Triathlons, Time Trials, and Cross Country - I do around 25 races per year. 

“This is my passion; I love racing and I would like to see how far I can go with it; my goal would be to make the Senior Elite Team. 

“My dad and I have already had zoom calls with the Triathlon Head Coach at the University, and I have been invited over for some training sessions, if I was to do out a wish list for Uni and my triathlon career, everything about their training regime and squad matches it perfectly.

“The International Race in Dublin will be very hard; I am here to learn and leave everything I have on the course. 

“Right now, NI has some inspiring triathletes, and all of them are racing at the highest level.

“Getting to rub shoulders with the best juniors in the world is a big achievement for me, but it’s nice to know that you are ranked top 10 in your own country and selected to race for your country.”

Jude is no stranger to hard work and competition and amongst balancing studying and training, he is aiming for the top:

“Triathlon feels like part of my DNA.

“It’s always a balance between studying, training and my favourite discipline … sleeping!

“I won the National Aquathon Youth Title in Lough Cutra in late May and then off to Holten in June which was my first experience of international racing.

“I really want to be the best in anything I do – this is a long road, and we race youth right up to the age of 23.

“The sport has a high injury and dropout rate – I want to stay healthy, keep improving and conquer the sport.

“Representing Ireland at the Olympics is the dream.”