What began as a passing glance at an advertisement has turned into a national title and selection for the New Zealand team for Whakatāne’s William Doney.

After seeing a promotion for the 2028 World Triathlon Championships to be held in Tauranga, Doney began considering a return to competitive sport. A former New Zealand athletics representative, his competitive pursuits were interrupted by a seven-month running injury. While cross-training under the guidance of David Royal at Tutua Physio, he saw the advert and started mapping out what a return might look like.

“I had just taken up cycling and recently joined the Whakatāne Cycle Club when I saw the advert about the event taking place in Tauranga,” said Doney.

At the same time, he found himself inspired by athletes from the Eastern Bay competing on the world stage. Watching Whakatāne’s Hayden Wilde excel internationally also fuelled his motivation.

“I’d sit on the couch watching Hayden compete at the highest level and think, as a bit of a couch expert, that maybe I could do something like that,” he said. “It’s easy to think that when you’re watching from home but it’s very different when you’re actually competing in an event.”

Encouraged by the success of other local athletes who have represented New Zealand recently, including Scott, Oliver and Xavier Christie, along with his sister-in-law Zara Ward, Doney set himself the long-term goal of returning to competitive sport.

He completed his first triathlon in November with the Eastern Bay of Plenty Triathlon and Multisport Club before stepping up to larger regional events to gain experience, ahead of committing to more specialised training in 2026.

“I was probably a bit naïve thinking I could jump straight into regional events like the Blue Lake Multisport Festival and the Kinloch Triathlon Festival,” he said. “But I wanted to learn early and understand what racing at that level actually felt like.”

The learning curve was steep.

At the Blue Lake Multisport Festival, Doney finished sixth in the Masters’ grade in the sprint distance, before backing that up with a strong second-place finish in the super sprint at the Ōhope Sprint Triathlon behind promising local junior Harper Thompson.

Those performances built confidence heading into the Kinloch Triathlon Festival — a key event on the New Zealand Suzuki Triathlon Series calendar. The festival also hosted the New Zealand Aquathlon Championships, consisting of a demanding 1km swim followed by a 5km run, and serving as a selection race for Triathlon New Zealand age-group teams competing at the World Multisport Festival in Abu Dhabi in November.

Having never competed in an aquathon, Doney approached the championships determined to gain experience.

“The swim was brutal,” he said. “Racing in such a big group, navigating multiple turns, having goggles knocked off and being hit by arms and legs; it was overwhelming at times.”

Despite the chaos, he exited the water with the leading athletes in his age group before transitioning to the run, traditionally his strongest discipline, across varied and testing terrain.

When the results were announced, Doney was stunned.

“Shocked is an understatement. To hear that I’d won the men’s 40-44 age group – and then been selected for the New Zealand team – was surreal. The event was incredibly demanding, and I haven’t felt that physically spent in a long time. The idea of now competing at a World Championship event in a place like Abu Dhabi is pretty overwhelming, so I’ll take some time to carefully consider whether I take up the opportunity.”

The following day, he lined up again in the sprint triathlon (750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) and once again claimed first place in the men’s 40-44 division.

“When I started this journey back in late October, my goals were simple swim 500 metres comfortably and complete a super sprint tri without walking,” he said. “To finish the season with an age-group national title and selection for a world championship event is mind-blowing.”

Doney is quick to acknowledge the support network that has helped him return to competitive sport, crediting the Eastern Bay of Plenty Triathlon and Multisport Club, the Whakatāne Cycle Club, Whakatāne Athletics and Harrier Club and Tutua Physio for their encouragement, guidance and training support.

“The local clubs and David have been incredibly supportive. Being welcomed back into competitive sport and having people willing to share advice and training alongside you makes a huge difference,” he said.

Doney will spend the remainder of the summer competing in local club events, including the Mount Maunganui Sprint Triathlon in Tauranga later in March.