Barbadian McIntyre captures junior title at Americas Triathlon

LIMA, Peru (CMC):

Barbadian teenager Luke McIntyre produced a sensational performance to win the Junior Men’s title at the 2026 Americas Triathlon Junior Cup here on Saturday.

McIntyre, 17, crossed the finish line in 58:26 to emerge victorious in a competitive 18-athlete field over the sprint-distance course of a 750m swim, 18.7km bike and 5km run.

He shared the fastest swim split of the day at 10:54, then rode a 31:40 bike leg before pulling away with the outright fastest run split of the race, a 14:27 5km, to seal the win.

Maximiliano Bobadilla of Chile finished second in 58:40, while Uruguay’s Elias Medina Paolucci completed the podium in third at 58:52.

The victory caps a breakthrough month for McIntyre, who has spent the past several weeks training in South America as one of six athletes selected continent-wide for the Americas Triathlon Development Committee’s Team Americas camp.

Held in Asunción, Paraguay, and Lima from August 6 to 24, the programme is built around “the road to the 2027 Lima Pan American Games” and paired McIntyre with top emerging talent from across the region before sending him into the World Triathlon Development Cup and the Junior Cup in Lima.

It also marked McIntyre’s second podium of the South American swing.

In July, he finished third in the Junior Men’s race at the Americas Triathlon Championships in Antofagasta, Chile, clocking 57:15.

Saturday’s win in Lima improves on that result and moves his career record to five victories and seven podiums from 12 starts, according to World Triathlon’s ranking database.