Jersey Shore Triathlete Takes To Rio For 2016 Summer Olympics
By Cleve Bryan
WILDWOOD CREST, NJ (CBS) – A Jersey Shore native is taking his bike, goggles and sneakers to Rio.
Wildwood Crest's own Joe Maloy earned the top qualifying spot this past weekend on the Team USA Triathlon team and will race in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil.
"It was special and even now I'm not sure I can put it into words," Malloy told Eyewitness News while on break in New Jersey before heading to California for the last phase of his Olympic training.
Maloy was a Wildwood Catholic HS graduate and varsity swimmer at Boston College before turning his focus to triathlons. He credits ocean swimming as a lifeguard with helping him in open water triathlon races.
He lived and trained in Manyunk for a period and says a "Rocky" attitude helped him overcome poor performances as he grew as a triathlete.
"I want to be tough. I want to be a competitor who races with the ideals of who I am and I feel makes our region really proud," says Maloy.
The Olympic Triathlon is scheduled for August 18.
This Friday at 6 p.m. Maloy will be honored at a ceremony at Centennial Park in Wildwood Crest.