When Molly Irvine received a phone call a fortnight ago she didn’t expect the news that was to come from the other end.
After qualifying as an emergency for the World Triathlon Championships the Traralgon resident had all but settled on the fact she wasn’t going to make it to the 2018 meet.
“The call said one of the girls pulled out because she’s injured and can’t go, do you want the position?'” Irvine said.
“You would never expect anyone to pull out of such a huge event, so it’s a little bit surreal at the moment I think.”
The 21-year-old’s fate was sealed with that one phone call and she is still coming to terms with the fact that she’s off to the Gold Coast to compete on the world stage.
Irvine will leave for the championships on September 10 with twin brother Tom in tow with racing scheduled for September 13.
“When I found out I was going, Tom was like ‘I’m coming’,” she said.
“I thought he wouldn’t want to come but he actually wanted to road trip it up to Queensland but I wanted to fly.”
Competing in the 20-29 age division, Irvine will come up against a large contingent of Australians with a few American competitors also in the mix.
She is one of just four athletes from Victoria to receive the call up for her age division.
“I think you do lose a little bit from being from regional Victoria but it really depends on how motivated you are,” she said.
“The indoor pool has so many benefits and you can train in winter, so it’s not too bad.”
With 11 weeks to go before the big race, Irvine is focussing on “base training” at the moment with an emphasis on strengthening an injured foot.
She sustained plantar fasciitis a year ago and has been working on ensuring one of her most important tools is good to go in September.
“I’m on the bike in the morning and do a swim or run at night after that,” she said.
“I’ve got to focus on getting the stretching right before the championships.”
Her pet leg is “definitely the run” but Irvine admitted perfecting her whole arsenal was key ahead of the world championships.
“I’ve got to work on the swim a little bit more, because it’s the first one if you lose time on that it’s hard to catch up,” she said.
“But I’m just so excited. I can’t wait.”
To help Molly on her way to the Gold Coast for the World Triathlon Championships, visit gofundme.com/help-molly-get-to-world-tri-champs
