Hayden Armstrong (triathlon) made his Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham as the guide for Gerrard Gosens OAM in the men’s Para-triathlon vision impaired (PTVI) event. Armstrong is one of Tasmania’s most celebrated amateur Ironman triathletes with multiple age-group successes in half-ironman and full ironman events, with his best age-group finish a third place in the 70.3 World Championships in 2018. In 2013, Armstrong clocked a sub 9 hours to finish 44th overall and eighth in his age group at the iconic Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. Hayden and Gerrard, a triple Paralympian, started working together in 2019 after they were introduced by Hayden’s coach Grant Giles and the pair has been in sync ever since. “Guiding is basically painting a picture of how the race is unfolding” says Hayden. “It is mentally challenging as you are racing for him [Gosens] and yourself, but you are on the line for him.” Hayden is the principle at Armstrong’s Insurance Brokers in Hobart and he and wife Brooke are parents to daughter Bella.