TRIATHLETE Jack Kennedy returned home from Gdansk, Poland, with lessons learned after a 65th place finish.
The local star was competing under the Irish flag against a highly skilled field in the FISU World University Triathlon Championships.
Kennedy spoke before the race about how happy he had been with his preparation going in, but admitted it was not his best race on the day.
“I had a great week representing Ireland out in Poland,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I did not have my best race and I ended up finishing 65th overall.
“The field was really strong, but I was hoping to finish a bit higher up the leaderboard.
“Unfortunately, I had been struggling with illness the couple of weeks before the race so the lead-up was not ideal. I ended up feeling a bit flat during the swim and consequently ended up in a slower bike pack than I expected to be, which had a big impact on the end result.
“It’s very difficult to compete with such a strong field when not feeling 100%.
“But I’ve learnt a lot from the experience and hope I get another chance to race the next World University Championships in Switzerland in 2026.”
Looking forward, Kennedy concluded: “My focus now shifts towards my final race of the season, the Irish Nationals, which will be staged in Dublin.
“Getting to compete in Ireland will be amazing and I am looking forward to using my lessons learned from Gdansk for a good finish to my season.”
