The Samoan triathlon team has been training hard in recent weeks with a run last Saturday from 6–8 am becoming part of their build-up to get a team selected for the upcoming Pacific Games. 

Team Manager Lani Wendt Young told the Samoa Observer that the race last Saturday was challenging for their team but their members did well despite the conditions.

"It was tough conditions out there for our first triathlon of the year, with a choppy ocean swim, and the road a bit slippery wet for the bikes from the rain," Ms. Young said. 

"All our athletes did very well and I was incredibly proud of them. The long list squad for the 2023 Pacific Games started training in early February with 5 am running and cycling sessions, and swimming in the afternoons."

Ms. Young said they were fortunate to have the Iron Darren Young on the longlist, whom she said entered the race on Saturday to come away with a winning time of 1 hour 11 minutes. 

She was also proud of the young athletes and named Tyreece Collins and Gideon Mulitalo, who came second and third respectively after powerful performances. 

The milestone achievements of women in the sport were also not lost on the Team Manager. 

"For the women's race,  today was their first time taking on a full triathlon of these distances. These young women only started riding a bike and learning to swim recently," Ms. Young said. 

"The goal for today's event was for them to finish (and complete it safely) and to learn from the experience as they continue to progress. They pushed hard out there and never quit.

"They may be new to triathlon, but Patricia Brooks and Manamea Schwalger are learning fast, and they're tough, a force to be reckoned with."

The presence of the guest triathlete Amanda Wheatley, who was visiting from Australia, was also highlighted with Ms. Young saying she inspired and motivated them as she set the lead pace. 

"If we look at the development of triathlon here in Samoa, what I'm most proud of about today, is how many women triathletes we have working towards the coveted three spots on the final team," she said.

At the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa, Samoa only had one female triathlete on its team with Ms. Young indicating that only one Samoan woman was at that level of competition.

"But this time, we have nine women on the longlist. There were five Samoan women doing the event today [last Saturday], three of them from the longlist squad. That's a milestone achievement.

"A big thank you to our head coach Bernie Poort and assistant coaches Darren Young and Arthur Mulitalo for all their hard work with our triathletes.

"This is a demanding sport with three disciplines to master, so it requires a lot of time and resources - we couldn't see this development in our athletes without the support of their parents and families."