Young Local Athlete Qualifies for World Triathalon Competition

Owen J. Roberts High School Sophomore, Maddie Matarazzo, 16, is a real competitor. She's been riding, running and swimming competitively since an early age and is now giving a lot of older athletes a run for their money!

It wasn't long ago that young Maddie started competing in regional competitions but she's rapidly advanced in the sport and is competing nationally now with an international triathlon coming up next year.

On August 10 Maddie competed in the USAT National Triathlon Championships in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The prestigious USAT race, an Olympic-Distance National Championship, is an Olympic-distance event of 51.5 total kilometers. The race featured a 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike and 10-kilometer run. The Olympic-distance race is acclaimed for featuring one the nation’s top age group fields and serves as a qualifier for Team USA.

In the substantial field of athletes, Maddie came in 7th place in the 19 and under category. With an impressive total time of 2:31:01, Maddie swam 1,500 meters in 21:36, cycled 40 kilometers in 1:12:44 and ran her 10K in 53:02.

This performance qualified Maddie for the ITU World Championships in Edmonton, Canada in 2014. The ITU World Championships will be televised and broadcast online.

As she competes in more and more completive triathlons, Maddie is ready and set to go!