For a long time Geoffrey Burns has been in the shadows of the likes of Ricky Sousa, Tim Fox and Justin Collis in triathlons among 11-12 Boys.

Things changed yesterday.

A well-timed sprint in the final 100 metres of the Shell Gold Cup Junior Triathlon at Clearwater Beach propelled this 11-year-old past Collis to the finish in 32.26 minutes. It was the first time the Saltus Junior student had beaten any of the above trio - and he whipped them all at once.

Collis, edged out by an agonising .01 seconds, was runner-up in 32.27 minutes while Fox was third in 32.44 minutes. Alexander McManus and Sousa were fourth and fifth respectively in 33.04 and 33.48 minutes respectively; the latter, nursing a hamstring injury that affected him badly.

Burns' gutsy performance was all the more impressive given the fact that he was competing in the 11-14 age group and was good enough to win that category overall.

"I feel really good. I have been working hard, running and cycling. I train about five times a week. Sometimes I go for long bike rides with my parents or I run on my own from my house (in Pembroke) to Admiralty House and back."

The winner said he decided to wait for a sprint to the finish because he figured he would tire and be passed if he "went out too fast".

His arch-rivals hailed his achievement with Sousa saying "it was good of Geoffrey to move up and have the feeling of winning".

Caitlin Conyers, with her trademark smile - even when it hurts - took the 11-12 Girls title and was sixth overall, clocking 34.06 minutes.

"I don't know why I smile during races. People always talk about that. I had a great swim and bike. I was keeping up with the boys until the end when they began sprinting (on the bike). I didn't have the best run. I walked a bit but I couldn't help that. I don't really like running that much but overall it was good," said the 12-year-old, candidly assessing her first triathlon for the season.

The 11-14 age group competed over a 200m swim, 10km bike and 2km run. Sean Harvey won the Boys 13-14 title in 35.32 minutes while Ally Bolton took the girls' equivalent in 38.03.

Not to be outdone, the younger juniors showed their mettle too as the 7-10 age group participated in a 100m swim, 5km bike and a 1km run. When their little feet had completed the course, it was the favourite Kenny Thomson who prevailed among 7-8 Boys, winning in 21.00 minutes while Sophie Adams was the best 7-8 Girl in 23.49 minutes.

The eight-year-olds agreed they had "a good time" though Thomson found it a bit hard at the end because he was tired.

Meanwhile, Marc Smith, was the overall winner of the 7-10 category and the top 9-10 Boy in 18.08 minutes. Kaitlyn Miller was second overall and first among the 9-10 Girls in 18.57 minutes. Brendan Doyle was third in 19.08 minutes.