LOCAL triathlete Joanne Miller has won a hard-fought battle for first place at the OTU Sprint Triathlon Oceania Cup in Devonport in early March.
Miller, a Sheldon College graduate, took out the gold medal in a time of 1:03:51, just three seconds ahead of second place recipient Tamsyn Moana-Veale.
Miller said the journey to the finish line was not an easy one.
"Overall, it was kind of a shocking result," she said.
"It was great going into that race with not a lot of pressure, having been off the radar for a while."
Coach Matt Bury said he had been training with Miller full-time for 12 months and had been impressed by her progress.
"She has always been a talented athlete," Mr Bury said.
"She had a bit of a form slump 12 months ago and since then we've really been working on the mental side of her approach to triathlon."
"I never knew how much having a positive mindset can help in training and races," Miller said.
"I think the race (in Devonport) was a stepping stone to my bigger goals this year."
Mr Bury said Miller's win in Devonport had proved that she was back in the game and set her up for a successful year.
"Normally people have an expression of joy when they win, but Jo just had this face of relief," he said.
"She knew she was back."
After competing at the ITU Triathlon World Cup in Mooloolaba on March 16, Miller is now gearing up to compete in the Gold Coast OTU Sprint Triathlon Oceania Cup on April 7.
Next month, Miller will also fight for her chance to qualify for the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne, Switzerland.
She said her sights were set high for the year ahead.
"I want to get some exposure in the world triathlon circuit to be racing against some higher-ranked athletes," she said.
"I want to be on that top step of the podium."