Sport: MERLIN TZAROS - TARGET TALENT ATHLETE 

Year 10 Merlin Tzaros has been named as a 2024-2025 AusTriathlon Talent Target Athlete, and been selected to the VIC Triathlon State Team for the 3rd year in a row.

The 15-year old bottom ager is one of 21 boys in the Junior Men (15-19) Victorian team, but only 3 who made the elite Target Talent Program, which provides world class development for athletes earmarked for international competition and long-term elite success. Just 25 athletes were selected in the TTP Australia-wide.

Having also made the School Sport Victoria Triathlon team this year (3rd year in a row), he has now made 6 State Triathlon teams in the 3 years since he took up the sport. He also made the SSV Cross Country State Team this year (5 years running).

Merlin is one of the extreme few W.HS students to ever make a State team in 2 sports in the same year, or at all. We believe the last was Angus McLean (Cycling and Triathlon) in 2015, and prior to that, Gary Arnold (Cycling and Triathlon, 1999) and Rowan Barrow (Swimming and Triathlon), multiple years 1990s). Records show that Tzaros and Barrow are vying for the most State team selections in the history of our school.

The Wangaratta West Primary School product was also was named the Vic Triathlon 2023/2024 State Series Champion. Despite again being bottom-age in the 15-19 age group, he amassed 28 points across the 7-event series, to win by 8, over a field of 18 athletes Victoria-wide. It’s the 3rd year in a row he has won this title.

Congratulations Merlin. Good luck competing this summer and in 2025.

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator