Athlone’s Fiona to represent Australia at world triathlon event
An Athlone native who is based in Sydney has qualified to represent Australia at a prestigious international triathlon in the Netherlands this weekend.
Age group athlete Fiona Taylor (née Thornton) will be competing at the International Triathlon Union World Triathlon Grand Final in Rotterdam this Sunday, September 17.
Fiona is a daughter of Mick and Therese Thornton from Retreat Park, Athlone. Her mother, two of her sisters, Deirdre and Eilish, and her niece, Muireann, will be travelling from Ireland to the Netherlands to cheer her on.
Fiona works as a diabetes nurse in Sydney. She is married to an Australian native, Luke, and is the mother of three children, Ronan (aged eight), Aiveen (seven), and Cormac (four).
She will be competing in the sprint distance event in Rotterdam, which consists of a 750-metre swim, 20km bike race, and 5km run.
"The Australian team is selected based on results of qualifying races held throughout the triathlon season here. I had podium finishes in the Sydney and Canberra races which earned me selection for the team," explained Fiona.
When asked how she felt about competing in a world final, she replied: "I am really looking forward to the event but very nervous also. It's a big honour to make the team."
Fiona's achievement in qualifying to represent Australia is made all the more impressive by the fact that she has only been competing in triathlons for the last three years or so. Her sisters had been taking part in triathlons in Athlone, and this inspired her to follow suit.
"Three of my sisters were racing in the triAthlone and having a great time. I thought, if they can do it then so can I, so I joined my local triathlon club in Sydney - Macarthur Triathlon Club - and quickly got hooked!"
She told the Westmeath Independent that she would love to compete in the triAthlone at some stage, "but so far I haven't managed to be back in Athlone at the right time."
Fiona's participation in swimming began in childhood when she was a member of the RAGS club in Athlone and was under the instruction of Pat Begley.
"I started swimming with RAGS many years ago and I swam competitively throughout my school years. I stopped swimming after school but started again when I moved to Australia and took up ocean swimming," she said.
Regardless of the outcome of Sunday's triathlon, Fiona is looking forward to coming home with her husband and children for a well-deserved holiday afterwards.
They are planning to spend three weeks in Ireland after the event before returning to Sydney.