XTERRA Youth Program is divided into 3 age divisions:
The age group is determined by the athlete's age as of December 31st of the year of the race.
To align with global triathlon standards, each age group in the Youth Tour will be assigned a recommended race distance.
M/F 14-15: Super Sprint Distance
Maximum distances: 400m swim, 8K bike, 2K run.
M/F 16-17 & M/F 18-19: Sprint Distance
Maximum distances: 750m swim, 15K bike, 5K run.
These distances align with World Triathlon recommendations, and are enforced by most federations. Athletes in the M/F18-19 (Junior) division may choose to participate in Full Distance Triathlons as they wish, but all championship races will be decided on the distances described above.
When allowed by governing federations and/or race directors, youth athletes may choose to compete in whatever distances are available to them. However in the interest of athlete safety and health XTERRA strongly recommends youth athletes participate in the distances described above.
Qualification to the XTERRA Youth World Championship is possible by the following means:
Slots to the XTERRA Youth World Championship will be awarded to youth athletes who compete and finish in top positions in any of the XTERRA Youth World Championship qualifying events, as described below.
The invitations for these slots will be sent out by XTERRA once results from the qualifying races have been submitted and verified. There is no roll-down process for these slots.
Athletes who do not have the opportunity to qualify directly by earning a slot may apply for a wild card entry to the XTERRA Youth World Championship. Reasons for not being able to qualify directly include:
Athletes looking to apply for a wild card entry to the XTERRA Youth World Championship can either do so using previous XTERRA triathlon results, or results from similar races that would provide evidence of their proficiency to compete in a cross-triathlon event.
For those who have raced an XTERRA triathlon: Please provide the names of the race or races and the results achieved. The distances of the races do not need to match that of the intended Youth World Championship category. These results are simply used to provide the technical team with evidence of cross-triathlon proficiency and experience.
For those who have never raced an XTERRA triathlon: Please provide any possible evidence that will support the case of the applicant's ability to participate in a cross-triathlon at a competitive level. This may include results and times from adjacent competitions such as other cross-triathlon events, MTB races, open water swimming races, duathlons, etc.
All applications will be reviewed by XTERRA, with the final decision being at the discretion of the technical team.
For athletes under the age of 18, applications need to be submitted by the athlete’s parents, club manager or Federal Youth representative, while athletes over the age of 18 may apply on their own accord.
Applications should be sent in to youth@xterraplanet.com.
The schedule of events with qualifying youth races may be found below. Please note that dates and events are subject to change.
Do youth athletes need a license to participate in the Youth World Championship?
Yes, as the Youth World Championship will be held in Italy, youth athletes must have a valid license from their national triathlon federation. Athletes without a license will be required to obtain an Italian medical certificate, along with a day FITRI license. The athlete's parents or guardians must be present to sign for the day license.
Do XTERRA Full Distance qualifying races still offer a slot for the 15-19 division?
Yes, the slots previously allocated to this division will remain the same. Athletes who earn this slot will be able to choose whether to transfer it to the Youth World Championship, or in the case of Junior (18-19) athletes, keep it for the Full Distance (see next question). Note that to compete in the XTERRA World Championship (Full Distance), athletes must be 18 years or above.
Can Junior (18-19) athletes still participate in the XTERRA Full Distance World Championship?
The XTERRA Junior World Championship will be decided on a Sprint Distance course. Junior athletes who choose to participate in the Full Distance race at the World Championship will have to either compete in the 20-24 age group, or be registered as an Elite (if they meet the criteria). Slots awarded to the Youth World Championship cannot be transferred to the Full Distance, so Junior athletes who wish to do the Full Distance will still need to earn their slot on a Full Distance race.
What if there is no race available for my age?
Youth athletes may participate in any XTERRA triathlon race where the governing federation and/or race director allow. If a youth athlete completes an XTERRA triathlon event that is not the official distance for their category, they may use that result to apply for a Youth World Championship slot by emailing youth@xterraplanet.com. For example, if a 17 year old (Youth B) athlete participates in a Full Distance race and places 2nd in their division, and there was no Sprint Distance race available, they may use that result to apply for a slot to the Youth World Championship.
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