Shark sightings force Noosa Triathlon to scrap swim leg
Surf lifesavers refused to put lifeguards in the water due to safety reasons, forcing organisers to modify the world's largest Olympic distance triathlon an hour before it began.
Shark sightings prompted the cancellation of the swim leg at the Noosa Triathlon, the world's largest Olympic distance triathlon, which attracts 8,500 athletes and 20,000 spectators each year. The event, held on Saturday at Noosa Main Beach, was temporarily halted after sharks were spotted offshore. Organisers then reduced the swimming distance to about 1 kilometer to keep participants in shallow waters.
However, early Sunday morning, just before the race commenced, the swim leg was completely scrapped. Surf lifesavers, responsible for monitoring the event, refused to enter the water after a sighting at dawn. The Noosa Triathlon team stated that they could not deploy water safety personnel due to the presence of marine life. Consequently, the swim was cancelled, and the event transformed into a duathlon.
Matt Hauser emerged victorious, completing the race in 1 hour, 39 minutes, and 34 seconds after organizers substituted a 5km run for the swim. Competitors then proceeded to cycle 40km and run 10km for the remaining legs of the race.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
