Athlete of the Week

Fuller brothers take top spots at triathlon

Accomplishment: Brothers Stefan, 13, and Stuart Fuller, 9, each won their age division for their team at the TBF Triathlon at Rancho Seco Park last weekend.

Stefan Fuller

The triathlon consisted of a 150-yard lake swim (50-yards for Stuart's group), four-mile bike ride and one-mile run.

Lodi's Mark Whittock took second place in the Men's Under-19 division, Nick Weikert finished in second in the Boys' nine-year old grouping, Bowen Terra was the runner-up in the Boys' eight-year old division, Robert Terra held onto a third place finish in the Boys' 11-year old division and Samantha Weikert placed fourth in the Girls' 11-year old division.

All athletes are a part of the Rocket Sports Junior Racing Team, which is a local USA Cycling and Triathlon team.

Family: Robert and Carolyn Fuller, parents; one brother and one sister.

Stuart Fuller

Favorite sport: Biking. "it's a sport you can do for all your life and it's competitive," Stefan, who has been pedaling since the age of two, said. " I like competition."

Football. "I can run really fast and I usually get the ball and try to score," Stuart said. He plays runningback in the Lodi Parks and Recreation flag football league.

Favorite athlete: Both brothers agree on Britain cyclist David Millar, who is a part of Slipstream Sports and is affiliated with the the Fuller's junior development team.

"He's good at time trials and so am I," Stefan said.

Favorite hobbies: Stefan likes swimming, running and competing in triathlons. He's a part of the Lodi Swim Club.

Stuart enjoys playing with his friends. They like to play army and have squirt gun fights and laser tag games.

Favorite subject: Spanish for Stefan. "I just like learning new languages and something new all the time," Stefan said.

Math for Stuart. "I can really challenge myself to do hard problems," Stuart, who will be in fourth grade at Vinewood in the fall, said.

Both boys practice the Japanese method of Kumon in order to advance their math skills. Stefan will begin a geometry class this fall as an eighth grader at Elkhorn Elementary.

Would like to meet: Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

"He's just really inspirational," Stefan said.

"He's really good at biking and he could tell us a couple of tips," Stuart said.

Crowning achievement: "Just being good in school and placing really high in most of the races that I do," Stefan said."

"Doing as many sports as I do," Stuart said. He also plays baseball, basketball, runs track and swims as well.

Plans: Stefan hopes to attend UC Davis and eventually go on to law school.

Stuart just wants to try and be active all his life.

The Athlete of the Week is selected by the News-Sentinel sports staff. Nominations are gladly accepted. The Fuller brothers will receive T-shirts courtesy of Lodi Sporting Goods for being selected.