The 14-year-old finished sixth in the intermediate age group at the Australian All Schools Triathlon Championships Festival, held from April 24-27, at the Sydney International Regatta Centre in Penrith.

“At the beginning of the race, I was nervous because I did not feel like my position on the pontoon to start the swim leg,” Henry said.

“I was last athlete in the left hand side of the pontoon, meaning I had to swim diagonally across to the right to reach the swim buoy for the first turn of the swim – adding an extra 15 metres to my swim.

“I didn’t feel like I had a great swim – it was quite brutal in the water.

“Despite this, I came out of the water in 13^th.”

After finishing his 600m swim in a time of 9.40, the Nowra Anglican student transitioned into his 15km ride – which he completed in 23.53.

“My transition from swim to bike was good and as soon as I was on my bike, another athlete and I worked together for two of the three laps – seeing us reach the pack in front of us,” he said.

“I came off the bike in 12th position and had an excellent transition from bike to run.”

Henry then headed into the 4km run – which he completed in a time of 13.52.

“I knew I wasn’t going to catch the leaders, instead focusing on having the best run I could,” he said.

“I focused on having a fast cadence and keeping my stride long. 

“I felt great on the run and was able to move into sixth – a result I was extremely happy with as I was one of the younger athletes in my age group.”

Making this achievement more impressive is Henry’s improvement from 10^th to sixth in a year.

“For the past 12 months, I have been working with my running coach Sharon on my technique and speed, as well as strength and stability,” he said.

“Sharon has had a huge impact on my running improvement and I am very appreciative of her input.”

Coach Sharon is stoked to help Brooklyn, who is also mentored by Brendan Sexton (Triathlon Australia/ IAS) and Sian Silk (Waterways Swim School), chase his dreams in the sport.

“Brooklyn is an absolute pleasure to coach and it was awesome to be at nationals to watch him race and see him reach and exceed his goals,” she said.

“It was particularly rewarding for me to see the work we have put into his run training pay off.”

Henry’s next focus is an interstate event at Runaway Bay in December.