New Zealand’s East Coast city of Gisborne turned on a warm, calm day for the Oceania Triathlon Championships this weekend and plenty of enthusiastic spectators gathered to watch the racing in this stunning location.

Dual Olympian Emma Moffatt and rising star Marcel Walkington led an Australian clean sweep in the elite category with New Zealander Maddie Dillon representing her country on the podium with a bronze in the U23 field. And it was the Aussies  who secured the all-important wildcard spots for this year’s Rio Olympics.

Moffatt led an Emma 1-2 finish from 21-year-old Sydneysider Emma Jeffcoat and Jaz Hedgeland in the women’s race before Walkington claimed a brilliant team effort in the men’s race to runaway from Aaron Royle and Olympic team contender and Under 23 World Champion Jake Birtwhistle in a major show of strength from the team in green and gold.

The victories secures Australia guaranteed three quota places for Rio with a maximum three men and three women.

In the all-important men’s race, it was Royle who dominated the swim along with Walkington and Queensland youngster Matt Roberts.

The three Aussies broke away, with Royle showing his surf skills, exiting the surf with a lead of over 30 seconds before he sat up on the bike and waited for his team mates to form what was effectively a three-man pursuit team to establish a lead of 1:35 going into the run.

The trio broke away to create a perfect scenario for the Australians with the likes of Birtwhistle, Ryan Fisher, Declan Wilson and Joel Tobin-White in control of the chase pack and the determined Kiwis.

It was another 1-2 finish for two of Australia’s Emmas – this time the well established two-time Olympian Emma Moffatt racing away from Triathlon Australia’s latest addition to “Team Emma” – 21-year-old Emma Jeffcoat.

The pair led out of the 1500m surf swim after riding a wave to the beach – conditions which suited the two former surf swimmers. The pair then rode away with the race on the 40km bike before the smooth striding Moffatt, chasing a record third Olympic team, raced away from Under 23 winner Jeffcoat with the fastly improving Jaz Hedgeland, on her way back from injury, third.

2016 Oceania Triathlon Championships, Gisborne

Men - Elite

1 Marcel Walkington (AUS), 1:52:06
2 Aaron Royle (AUS), 1:52:14
3 Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), 1:53:02

U23 Men

1 Marcel Walkington (AUS), 1:52:06
2 Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), 1:53:02
3 Declan Wilson (AUS), 1:53:30

Women - Elite

1 Emma Moffatt (AUS), 2:02:24
2 Emma Jeffcoat (AUS), 2:04:58
3 Jaz Hedgeland (AUS), 2:09:16

U23 Women

1 Emma Jeffcoat (AUS), 2:04:58
2 Jaz Hedgeland (AUS), 2:09:16
3 Maddie Dillon (NZL), 2:10:54