JERSEY’S Seaena Silvester returned from the biennial School Games National Finals with a silver medal, after becoming just the second Islander in history to partake in the event.
Held at Loughborough University, the School Games National Finals are a multi-sport event for youth athletes on the Olympic and Paralympic pathways.
The triathlon events incorporate three days of racing, with athletes competing for teams representing the 12 British Triathlon regions plus Ireland and a “Wildcard” team.
Jersey athletes are eligible only for the Wildcard team, and Silvester’s selection was driven by strong performances in the British Triathlon Super Series in 2023 and 2024.
On the competition, Silvester said: “The School Games were a whole new experience.
“As a member of the Wildcard team, you got to meet many new people and race in a distinct format.
“The facilities were fantastic, watching new sports was so inspiring, and the overall atmosphere was like no other.”
Day one of the triathlon competition saw competitors compete in a qualifying aquathlon (swim and run) followed by evening finals over the same distance.
Despite a strong swim in qualifying, the Islander struggled on her run, and subsequently was not able to hold a position which would qualify her for the A final.
In the B final, however, Silvester performed admirably, leading out the swim with a time which was the equal to her qualifier, followed by a measured run which saw her initially drop to third, but climb back to second in the last half-lap.
Day two focused on the bike, with athletes tackling a technical cycling skills test, followed by a circuit race with athletes staggered based on their cumulative time from the aquathlon and skills test.
This culminated in a bike race to the line for overall positions in the first medal event.
Silvester began the day in 16th position in the overall, but a 9th place score in the skills test improved her ranking.
She raced to an overall finish of 11th place, only narrowly edged out of the top ten.
The final day of competition at the Games involved the mixed triathlon team relay, with each team made up of two boys and two girls, each completing a triathlon before handing over to the next teammate.
Silvester took on the second leg for the Wildcard team, whereby the Caesarean handed over to her teammate, Israel Nobel from Scotland, in fourth position.
With strong legs from Nobel followed by Isla Widdowson, the team moved up into silver medal position at the finish, much to Silvester’s delight
“The Wildcard team placed second in our team mixed relay the next day from a great all-round team effort.
“The last day was an obstacle course similar to that of a ninja warrior to finish off the week, which was a fun way to end.”
Silvester’s result comes just two years after Luke Holmes became the first athlete from Jersey to compete at the event, where he was part of the Wildcard team which took home the gold medal.
The final race of the domestic triathlon season is the Grand Final of the British Triathlon Super Series Championships at Mallory Park, incorporating the Elite Championships this Saturday.
Holmes will be looking to add the Junior Championship to the Youth title he won at the event last year and also catch the eye of the selectors for the upcoming World Junior Championships in Spain.
Additionally, Libby Atkinson and Siena Stephens are set to battle in the Junior Women’s race alongside Guernsey competitor Hannah Kennedy.
Meanwhile, in the Elite Senior Championships, Ollie Turner is joined by Thomas Atkinson, who returns from an injury-affected summer.
Joining the elite competitors at the weekend will be 12 younger Jersey athletes in the Tristars 2 and Tristars 3 age groups as they represent Jersey in the Inter-Regional Championships.
Full results from the School Games Finals can be found at schoolgamesfinals.org/sports-results/triathlon/
