FIRST EVER PODIUM FINISH FOR AN AUSTRALIAN JWOC SPRINT RELAY TEAM
JWOC 2025 in Trentino, Italy got off to a fantastic start for the Australian junior team.
Our first team finished in 6th place and this is the first ever time that we have placed on the podium in the Sprint Relay championship race.
Australia 1 55:38.00 +1:14.00
-Leg 1: Milla Key got the team off to an awesome start and was at one stage in the lead of the race. Milla placed 6th and more importantly was only 21 seconds off the lead setting up Cooper Horley perfectly for the second leg.
-Leg 2: Cooper like Milla had a superb run threatening the Swedes and the Czechs for the lead and came into the changeover in 4th position only 19 seconds down on Sweden.
-Leg 3: Next up welcome Elye Dent to the international stage and not only did Elye take in 19 seconds early in the race he was clear leader at one stage. At the final changeover Elye was in 8th and 41 seconds down.
-Leg 4: On last leg our team captain Nea Shingler shone through with her experience and cool head and ran brilliantly to bring us home into a 6th and first ever podium finish and something neither our team, coaches or supporters will ever forget.
Congratulations to all involved.
AUSTRALIA 2 & AUSTRALIA 3 Relay Teams: Our second and third team also did very well placing 28th and 49th in the complete team list and there will be a number of our athletes who will be keen to place top 30 or better in today’s individual sprint race.
Australia 2 59:27.20 +5:03.20
Australia 3 1:03:49.50 +9:25.50
Let’s hear from Brett Weihart, Director Performance and Coaching on the sprint relays:
“The 6th place comes on the back of an 8th place at the previous two JWOC’s in Czechia and Romania and so it was a fantastic reward for the athletes in the team. Both Milla Key and Nea Shingler have run in the first team at those 2 JWOC’s and it was so pleasing to see them make it to the podium for Nea’s final JWOC this year. It was also fantastic for Cooper who came down with Pneumonia on arriving at JWOC last year and wasn’t able to be part of the team. And finally our debutant Elye in his first ever JWOC race makes it onto the podium.”
