SEBASTIAN Wingad has returned home a champion after running, swimming and cycling his way to the top prize at his first national triathlon competition.
The 14-year-old, who trains with Starfish Fitness in Alexandra Hills, won the three-race Australian Junior Triathlon Series in the Youth B category.
The win was the cumulative result of Wingad placing fourth in a race on the Gold Coast, second in Canberra and first in Devonport.
Wingad said while many of the competing athletes were good friends, there was a strong competitive atmosphere.
"The top three (triathletes) were all within five seconds of each other," he said.
"It was a sprint to the finish line."
Wingad said he was thrilled to have won his first national competition and was impressed with Queensland's overall performance.
"When you see all the results, it was mostly Queensland that was up there, so it was good to see our state athletes were dominating," he said.
Starfish Tri Athletic head coach Ben Luscombe said Wingad had been dedicated to his sport and had shown great progress since he started with Starfish Fitness nearly five years ago.
"He's developed over that time," Mr Luscombe said.
"He's really shown a lot of maturity in the last 12 months and taken a positive approach to training."
He said Wingad trained between 12 and 14 hours per week.
