To set up a sporting club and get it up and running is a strenuous task in itself, especially when undertaken by students alongside their university commitments. To take a club to great heights and receive recognition for it within a year of starting out is an achievement worthy of every accolade.
Founded in 2023, the Triathlon Club bagged two awards at the annual Sport and Volunteer Celebration for 2024 – the Award of Excellence for Innovation and the Award of Excellence for Inclusion (for club founder and president Sihong Wu).
The club’s aim has been to encourage students new to Triathlon to give it a try and they have ensured that they have beginner-friendly activities to support members to gradually build their strength and confidence in swimming, cycling, and running. At the same time, the club engages a professional coach to support the development of intermediate athletes.
It is this vision of inclusivity and creation of programs for people with diverse abilities and fitness levels that earned Sihong the Award of Excellence.
Sihong decided to take the lead in filling the gap for a Triathlon club at the University when a friend floated the idea. He says it took patience to see the club blossom.
“The initial establishment was slow, and our input did not generate equal output. However, the Triathlon Club slowly gained momentum with consistent efforts to improve the program quality, and to emphasise marketing and communication with members to better understand their needs,” he said.
However, with the help of a talented committee, the club was able to put together programs that very quickly generated interest from the University community.
The club runs three weekly training sessions for swim, bike and run, and a Mini-Triathlon Race is held on campus each semester. Additionally, the club also organises several community-focussed events like Yoga classes and social runs and bike sessions where participants get to explore the areas surrounding the Parkville campus and connect with nature.
These sessions not just provide beginners a light, achievable and enjoyable way to ease into the Triathlon disciplines but also a space to build connections and find a community. The semesterly Mini-Triathlon has seen many participants complete a Triathlon for the first time.
Sihong is a marketing communications student himself and that reflects in the effort the club puts into their social media pages. The use of platforms like Instagram to put out weekly schedules and highlights from their recent activities in a vibrant manner, depicting not just the achievements of the members but also the fun they have in their sessions, works well to attract young University students to the discipline.
The Triathlon Club was recognised with the Award for Excellence for this creative and innovative approach of turning an individual sporting discipline that requires immense physical and mental strength to a team and community-focussed space.
But this focus on fun and inclusivity has not taken anything away from the strive for sporting success. In November, the club won its first medal – a gold at the 2XU Series 1 Elwood Triathlon. The Melbourne University Triathlon Club team of Georgia Martin (swim), Sihong Wu (bike), and Bryan Woo (run) ranked first amongst 25 sides in the overall team relays.
