Junior Competes in Second International Duathlon for Team USA
Junior Competes in Second International Duathlon for Team USA
Junior Sophia Alexander competed in her second international duathlon, representing Team USA in Pontevedra, Spain last month.
Duathlon is an athletic event that consists of a running leg, followed by a cycling leg and then another running leg in a format similar to triathlons.
Alexander’s first national competition was in Bend, Ore. in 2017, when she qualified to represent Team USA as one of six women under the age of 18 in Denmark for the World Championships. In 2018, she participated in her second national championship in South Carolina and qualified for the Spain competition.
“I started running when I was 9 years old and ran with the Cambridge Jets, a running club that trains at the indoor Harvard track in Cambridge, Mass., where I used to live,” Alexander said. “My dad started competing in triathlons in the northeast and introduced my brother, sister and me to the sport around that time. My brother, William, and I competed in the MIT Kids Triathlon with over 1,000 athletes, and I won first place for my age. I have loved competing ever since.”
With her competition schedule, she has found Sage Hill to be very encouraging and supportive of her athletic pursuits. She said she loves competing in duathlons because the sport has given her an opportunity to travel around the world for international competitions.
“I have been fortunate to be able to travel to new places I would not otherwise have had a chance to visit and have been able to meet new friends,” Alexander said. “The sport has taught me that even though competitors come from all parts of the world and do not speak the same language, through sport we share a common bond. We share the same hopes to achieve and we push each other to put everything we have out there to be the best of ourselves in the competition. It’s cool to see how you don’t need to speak the same language to understand and connect with others.”
Sage Hill School
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