Jersey triathlete Siena Stephens will get another chance to race alongside some of the biggest names in the sport after being awarded a wildcard for the Supertri Pro Series Final on Sunday 6 September.
The 19-year-old will line up in front of her home crowd at the Marina, one year after a last-minute call-up gave her what she described as a ‘fairytale’ opportunity to compete against Supertri’s world-class athletes.
Last September, Siena started race day by completing the 10k distance for RBC Race for the Kids, completely unaware that she would be lining up in the elite Supertri race just a few hours later. A late withdrawal from the women’s field meant she was called up with less than two hours’ notice and suddenly found herself racing against Olympic medallists and some of her sporting inspirations.
The moment was made even more remarkable by the fact that, earlier that week, Siena had been sitting in the audience at a special event for aspiring female athletes led by Olympians Georgia Taylor-Brown and Emma Jeffcoat. Just days later, she was racing alongside them around the Marina in front of friends, family and thousands of Jersey spectators.
Following the race, which Siena called “the most amazing experience”, she told reporters that she would love the opportunity to do it again. This September, that wish will come true – although this time she will have considerably more notice to prepare.
Michael D’hulst, CEO and Co-Founder of Supertri, said: “Siena did an incredible job last year, especially when you consider that she had run 10k that morning and had very little time to prepare herself to race against some of the best triathletes in the world.
“We’re delighted to offer her a wildcard for the Supertri Pro Series Final and give her another opportunity to race in front of her home crowd. She is exactly the kind of young athlete we want Supertri to inspire, and I’m sure there will be plenty of aspiring Jersey triathletes watching her on the start line and thinking that one day it could be them.”
More information about the Supertri Pro Series Final can be found here.
