By Renae Jones
Jack Caldwell’s breakthrough victory at the Australian Junior Super Sprint Championship, where he clinched his first national title, has earned him the title of Commonwealth Games Australia’s (CGA) Emerging Athlete of the Month for February.
In just his third season competing in triathlons, Caldwell delivered an impressive display of skill and determination, edging out defending champion Jack Woodbury by 16 seconds in the final to claim the win.
Reflecting on the unforgettable moment of crossing the finish line, Caldwell shared, “nothing is ever a guarantee, so there wasn’t a planned celebration. When I crossed the line, it was just pure emotion.”
This triumph was especially meaningful for Caldwell after a challenging year saw him overcome overuse soft tissue injuries, which kept him sidelined from competition.
“It really paid off,” Caldwell said, speaking of his patience and determination to rebuild his strength and return to form.
What makes Caldwell’s achievement even more remarkable is the added challenge of living nearly 600km away from his coach and without access to a local triathlon club, although he doesn’t let these barriers slow him down.
“Being recognised as the Commonwealth Games Emerging Athlete of the Month is amazing.
“It was definitely not expected, so… I was pretty happy,” he shared.
“It also feels good to have your hard work recognised.”
Caldwell’s success continued with a double podium finish at the Australian Sprint Championships, securing second place overall and claiming the Australian Junior Sprint Championship title.
With his first national title now under his belt, Caldwell is looking towards the rest of the season with “the main goal being to qualify for the Junior World Championships”, set to take place on home soil in Wollongong later this year.
The Commonwealth Games serves as a platform for developing the future stars of Australian sport and the Emerging Athlete of the Year forms part of a refreshed Awards and Honours program developed by the CGA Heritage and Awards Committee.
The CGA Emerging Athlete of the Year Award celebrates the next generation of Australian sport stars and those that may make an impact for Australia at major sport events in the future.
Over the course of 2025, an athlete will be recognised each month as the Emerging Athlete of the Month and will receive a $500 contribution towards their training and competition expenses.
Three finalists from the monthly winners will then split a $7000 cash prize, with the winner receiving $5000 and the two runners-up $1000 respectively.
