As a young boy, Year 12 student Jack Meade watched his dad compete professionally in triathlons and ironman events. It was only natural that one day he’d be inspired to do the same.

That he’s gone on to win the 2XU Triathlon Series in his age group, and represent Victoria at the National Schools Triathlon Championships is an amazing achievement.

Jack says it’s the diversity of the sport that drove him to compete at the top level.

“The thing I love most about the triathlon is having three sports (swimming, cycling and running) in one,” he says. “It gives variety to my training and the different training environments also keep me motivated.”

Of the three disciplines, Jack admits that cycling is his favourite.

“I love the pace of time trialling on the bike,” he says, “especially down along Beach Road in Melbourne during the 2XU races.”

Of course, 2020 has been a year of disruption for sports people around the world, and Jack’s experience has been no different.

“Not being able to compete regularly has been a real challenge, and pool closures have really restricted my swim training,” he says. “When you’re training alone and not competing regularly you have to work much harder at keeping motivated.”

Jack is also balancing his sporting commitments with his final year of VCE, balancing five subjects: English, Further Maths, Accounting, Economics and Business Management. He has his sights set on a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) at La Trobe University Bendigo in 2021.

“Remote learning has definitely made 2020 more challenging with so much time away from the familiar school environment,” he says. “Though I’ve definitely enjoyed the more flexible routine with classes, and the support from teachers has been great.

“I think sport has provided me with a healthy balance away from classes during the COVID-19 lockdown. It’s definitely helped me stay motivated with my school work.”

Alongside his career ambitions in business, Jack can definitely see triathlon remaining a big part of his life.

“It’s a sport that has events all around the world,” he says. “There’s great flexibility when it comes to where and when I can train and compete.”