13 year old Barbadian triathlete, Luke McIntyre, is now in Ohio on a ‘wildcard’ invitation, to participate in the US 2022 National Triathlon Championships.

McIntyre, double gold medallist at the 2019 CARIFTA Triathlon, received the invitation to participate in the Elite Youth (13-15) division of the Nationals, as a result of his performance at a run-up triathlon event in Florida earlier this year. During that meet, he placed second in a group of US elite youth triathletes, most of whom were at least one year older than him.

The US Triathlon Nationals are held annually, at the end of a season of races across the United States where Youth (13-15) and Junior (16-19) elite triathletes compete to qualify for the championships. An invitation to compete in the 2022 Nationals without participating in the qualifying rounds is considered an honour, since non-US nationals are not permitted to qualify for the Nationals.

McIntyre, already well known locally as an accomplished distance runner with Leo Garnes’ Elite Distance Program (LGEDP), will also represent Barbados at the CARIFTA Triathlon in Bermuda in September. He will be part of the Barbados Federation of Island Triathletes (BFIT) team and will compete in the 13-15 year old age group.

Accompanying McIntyre to Ohio is 11-year-old Zindzele Renwick-Williams, who will compete in the 11-12 Age Group Youth race, which serves as a lead-in to the elite division. Renwick-Williams, also a distance runner with LGEDP, will compete at the CARIFTA Triathlon in September in the 11-12 age group.

Both boys are reportedly excited to be participating in the races, which come off this weekend, and to fly the Barbados flag!