Caleb Wagener will be a chief source of intel and inspiration for up to six team-mates named today to represent New Zealand at September’s World Triathlon Junior (U19) Championships in Spain.
The 18-year-old Aucklander has been named alongside Connor Kemp (Wellington), Indie Williams (Auckland) and Sophie Webber (Hawke’s Bay) with locked in spots for the September 23-27 worlds in Pontevedra, Spain.
Theo Bray (Wellington), Hayley Cornwall (Palmerston North) and Charlotte Chiles (Christchurch) have been named as travelling reserves with Tri NZ fighting to get the trio invitation slots, a process that won’t be confirmed till a month beforehand when World Triathlon confirms start lists for Pontevedra.
Wagener won the World Junior Duathlon title in Pontevedra last June and has kicked on from that seminal moment to finish 3rd at the Oceania Junior Championships in Devonport in March before stunning with bronze at Asia Cup Osaka Castle late last month.
Coached by elite Ironman competitor Ben Hamilton, Wagener’s first elite “Conti Cup” podium in Japan was sensationally shared with Paris Olympian Dylan McCullough and sealed with a scorching, best-of-race 15:08 split for the closing 5km run.
Wagener will look to improve on his 17th at the 2025 Junior World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong, as will Brisbane-based medical student Webber who was 47th last October.
If Cornwall gets a start after a frustrating illness/injury-impacted year, she’ll be out to eclipse her 13th place from Wollongong. The Manawatu prospect will wait for confirmation of a Pontevedra start before committing to Team NZL’s buildup campaign encompassing European Triathlon Junior Cup City of Derry on September 5 and two weeks training in Banyoles before transferring across Spain to Pontevedra.
Cornwall, Wagener and Webber are already on the first of potentially two European campaigns in 2026, building towards key European Triathlon Cup races via Tri NZ’s European training base in Banyoles. All three have Holten, The Netherlands (July 4) on their schedules and one other race beforehand; Wagener in Kitzbühel (June 19-20), Webber at Wels in Austria (June 27-28) and Cornwall at Tiszaujvaros in Hungary (June 27-28).
Webber is unlikely to race in Ireland, instead opting to return directly to Banyoles for the final buildup/taper to the worlds before the transfer to Pontevedra.
Williams, also coached by Chris Willett like Webber, has been selected for her first Junior Worlds. The Diocesan School for Girls student, a noted runner currently immersed in the strong Auckland schools cycling and cross-country running scenes, is one of Tri NZ most exciting prospects and young enough to potentially qualify for a further two world U19 campaigns.
Fifth at the Oceania Junior Championships, Kemp calls Wellington home but is Tauranga-based, part of Craig Kirkwood’s stable like Cornwall and studying at Waikato University. Bray is also a Wellingtonian with wings, currently studying at Canterbury University and coached by Tess Mattern.
Also studying at Canterbury University is Chiles who is coached by Ollie Hansen, husband of decorated New Zealand Olympian Andrea Hansen (nee Hewitt).
The Junior worlds are part of the wider World Triathlon Championship Finals in Pontevedra encompassing elite, U23 and age group racing.
Team NZL for the World Triathlon Junior (U19) Championships
Boys
Caleb Wagener (Auckland)
Connor Kemp (Wellington)
Travelling Reserve
Theo Bray (Wellington)
Girls
Indie Williams (Auckland)
Sophie Webber (Hawke’s Bay)
Travelling Reserve
Hayley Cornwall (Manawatu)
Charlotte Chiles (Canterbury)
