Weeks after being floored by COVID, Australian triathlete Matt Hauser has left his coach in awe with a gutsy performance to qualify for next year's Paris Olympics.
Hauser finished eighth at the World Triathlon Championship Series grand final in Pontevedra, Spain, to secure his spot at a second Olympics.
Last month, the 24-year-old was forced out of the Paris Olympic test event after contracting COVID.
"Considering the dogged past month, I knew I had to execute everything to perfection out there," Hauser said.
"It has taken up until this past week to string a couple of decent (training) sessions together so it could be a 'just in the nick of time' scenario.
"This one meant so much ... after missing the Paris test event I wanted to give us all some reward for what has been a long season.
"Paris 2024, here we come."
Hauser's achievement stunned his coach Dan Atkins.
"I just don't know how he does it, I really don't," Atkins said.
Atkins described Hauser's opening leg, a career-best 1.5km swim, as the most impressive feat the athlete has produced.
After leading the field from the water, Hauser held steady during a survival of the toughest on the bike and run.
"The last three weeks have been rough for Matt," Atkins said.
"We tried a lot of different strategies to help him get over COVID but not a lot seemed to work.
"So pretty much everything was aerobic-based to try and give Matt every possible chance of racing.
"His swim was the most impressive thing I've seen Matt do. I still shake my head at his overall commitment to that race."
Hauser will become the ninth Australian triathlete to compete at two Olympic Games - Emma Moffatt and Erin Densham (2008, 2012, 2016) hold the national record with three Games.
