HE HAD TO be patient, but that trait proved to be a virtue for Aidan Callaghan.
The Letterkenny 24/7 Triathlon Club competitor (pictured above) was this week confirmed as the overall winner of Triathlon Ireland’s Super Series.
Callaghan finished in ninth place at the Pulse Port Beach Triathlon – the National Championships over Sprint Length in Clougherhead, Co Louth – last month but faced a nervous wait for the overall result.
It was learned that Chris Mintern had inadvertently cut a corner and the Cork Triathlon Club member was disqualified, meaning he didn’t finish the obligatory four races needed to be considered for overall classification.
The Super Series, contested by the top 50 triathletes in the country and in its first year in existence, accumulates points from the given individual’s best four races from the six scheduled, with bonus points on offer at the National Championships, over both the Sprint and Olympic stagings.
Aidan Callaghan
In his first race of the Super Series season at the TriAthy Sprint 2015 in Athy, Co Kildare, Callaghan finished in third place before winning the Sligo Tri Club Lissadell Triathlon in July.
The Vodafone Dublin City Triathlon, which doubles as the Olympic Length National Championship, saw a ninth place finish and those three, combined with another ninth place at Clougherheard meant Callaghan finished overall winner.
“I kind of knew I had it but had to wait on the official word,” Callaghan told Donegal Sport Hub of his overall success.
“I’m glad that all the hard work paid off. At the start of the season I had two goals – to get a podium finish at the National Half Ironman Championships in Athlone and to get a podium finish overall in the Sprint Series, so I’m delighted to have actually won the overall event.”
In Athlone at the National Half Ironman Championships, Callaghan, a co-ordinator with Lifford Youthreach Programme, was third overall, second Irishman and first amateur.
Later his month, the 32-year-old will take part in the Dublin City Marathon.
“I’m just looking to get a marathon into the legs more than anything at this stage,” he continued. “I’m working towards Ironman next year and it’s not about setting goals in Dublin, it’s just to get around the course and to enjoy the run.”
Second place over the course of the Spring Series season went to Eoin Lyons from Waterford Triathlon Club.
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