The Provincial Team travelled to Magog, Quebec at the beginning of July for the Elite America’s Cup and Jr Quebec Cup. This event, known for attracting top talent from across the continent, provided Provincial Team athletes with a platform to test their skills, gain valuable experience, and showcase the strength of British Columbia’s triathlon programs.

The Jr Quebec Cup saw BC’s Josiah Wilkinson (Northern Triathlon Club), Cy Jones (Exceleration), Kostas Powell (Exceleration), and Nico Stockwell (Exceleration) take the startline. Josiah was the first BC athlete out of the water, and with a lightning fast transition, made the front group on the bike. An unfortunate crash moved Josiah back, but he fought hard to the end, finishing 9th. Cy, Nico and Kostas followed closely behind Josiah, making it into the chase groups on the bike and working hard to keep the leaders in sight – with fast run times the results came through with Cy Jones 13th, Nico Stockwell 15th, and Kostas Powell in 24th.

“The race was especially enjoyable as it was a chance to meet and race many of the athletes across Canada I’d never interacted with before. It was awesome to see the high level everyone performed at and it inspired me to keep working hard and improving for nationals in September.

A fond memory of mine was making pasta with the team one night. A group of us boys with minimal cooking experience came together one night to buy ingredients and cook dinner. To the slight surprise of everyone we succeeded in making a solid spaghetti with meat sauce and caesar salad, a much enjoyed meal after the previous two days of breakfast for dinner.” Kostas Powell.

The Men’s America’s Cup saw a powerful lineup of Elites, along with exceptional Jr athletes receiving upgrades. James Sikich (Exceleration) was the top BC athlete finishing 29th (and 3rd Junior!), with Trevor Laupland (LiveFit) close behind in 38th. Austin Beese (Exceleration) finished 51st in his debut America’s Cup as a Junior, and Jack Screen (LiveFit) finished 55th.

In the Women’s America’s Cup, BC’s Junior athlete Sidney Clement (Sun Devils) finished 5th overall, and top Junior! This was an outstanding performance by the Junior athlete as she targets Junior World Championships later this year. Colette Reimer (The Velocity Project) finished 23rd. Astrid Bergman (LiveFit) 37th, and our Alberta crew that joined on the project were close being with Amaia Ervin-Arambarri (Kronos) 38th, Kahlen Anderson (Triathlon Alberta) 48th.

Next up for the Provincial Team program will be the America’s Cup in Edmonton Aug 24-25th, and National Championships in Montreal Sept 7-8th.