WHAT a difference a year can make.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
When Angus Argent-Smith competed in last year's Huskisson Triathlon sprint, the then 15-year-old won his age group in a time of one hour and eight seconds.
And on Saturday he returned a year older and with an extra 12 months of experience, he smashed his time.
Argent-Smith managed to slice almost seven and a half minutes of his time from 2023 and that not only resulted in him winning his age group but also claiming an outright win.
His time of one hour and 32 seconds saw him finish over a minute ahead of Kyle Mason, who came second overall.
The Scots All Saints College border said he was thrilled with the win, especially considering the amount of training he's been doing on the bike.
"I was really happy with the result, after a big block of training," he said.
"There was a lot of focus on the bike and that result showed I was really strong on the bike.
"I won my age group last year, but it was a dream to win it outright this year, with the fastest time overall out of anyone."
He cleared the swim leg at a time of 11:03, the bike leg was finished in a time of 30:53 and he clocked in with a time of 16:33 on the run.
Nationals beckon for Argent-Smith
Argent-Smith faced some stiff competition at Huskisson, including some he went up against in the NSW All Schools Triathlon on Wednesday, February 21, at Penrith.
Competing in the seniors solo, Argent-Smith finished second to Jack Caldwell by 53 seconds.
And while he missed out on the win, his second place finish was enough for him to qualify for the Triathlon National Championships.
"Obviously a lot of training went into it and a lot of work on the bike. I'm actually really happy with my progress," Argent-Smith said.
"I'll have a week of hard training now and then I'll notch it down a bit and get myself ready and my body prepared for the competition.
"It's such a great opportunity for someone like me. I'm really looking forward to it."
Nationals will run from March 12-15 and Rockingham, just under 50 kilometres south of Perth in Western Australia, will host the event.
Argent-Smith won his first Bathurst Wallabies Triathlon Club race in March last year, when he became the youngest winner of the Dave Scott-Dave Carroll Memorial.
He also won the 2023-24 season opener in October, while dominating the Australia Day inter-club triathlon in January.
