AARON Royle will represent Australia at a second Olympic Games after being selected on the triathlon team for Tokyo.
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The Novocastrian was one of six representatives, three men and three women, announced on Friday.
Royle helped the Aussies secure a full quota of positions by finishing inside the world's top 30 when the qualification points window closed last month.
The 31-year-old, who made his Olympic debut in Rio in 2016, has recently dealt with an Achilles injury while competing overseas.
"Injuries, changing training locations and coaches, having to overcome many days of self doubt, asking 'Am I past my best, do I still have room to improve?' type of self doubt," Royle told AOC media.
"Ultimately I learnt to find joy in the struggle and to embrace this journey."
Royle and Ashleigh Gentle return while Jake Birtwhistle, Matt Hauser, Jaz Hedgeland and Emma Jeffcoat are all rookies.
Triathlon Australia's performance director Justin Drew also spoke to AOC media.
"We have a really nice balance in this team," Drew said.
"Ashleigh has achieved a host of major WTS and World Cup podiums including her Grand Final win in 2018 as well as her relay results and Royle is an experienced campaigner across individual and relay events who has been a part of multiple world championship medal teams in relay and a top 10 finisher individually in Rio.
"Then there's an athlete of Birtwhistle's calibre who is the only man to win two WTS races in the last full season in 2019 as well as the emerging talents of Hauser, Hedgeland and Jeffcoat.
"It is not a surprise that no matter where our athletes have been based around the world that it has been one incredibly demanding campaign but it's always apparent that the focus has been about performing in Tokyo which is what we want to do.
"The Australian team has had some great success in the relay, including being on the World Championships podium in every event we have contested since 2015.
"And when they do race for that team and no matter what that combination is they set out to do something special."
Individual races take place at Odaiba Marine Park on July 26 and 27. The mixed teams event follows on July 31.
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