Because the two Los Gatos athletes both finished in the top five in the age groups at the rugged event held in the fall in Roseville.

Matthew Petrillo was second in the boys 13-year-old division, and Stephanie Petrillo was fourth in the girls 11-year-old group.

In the competition, athletes participated in a 200-meter swim, a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) bicycle ride and a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) run.

Stephanie, a sixth-grader at Fisher Middle School, had finished 16th in her age group a year earlier in St. Louis but cracked the top five when the event moved to California this year. She was the gold medal winner as an 8-year-old before suffering a broken leg.

Matthew was a silver-medal winner in 2001 and matched that showing in 2002. He was the Central Coast Section champion in cross country as an eighth-grader at Fisher last fall.

Matthew showed his athletic versatility last fall when, after completing an undefeated cross country season, he was a sectional Punt, Pass & Kick competition winner, and he finished second in his division at regional competition held during a Raiders game at the Oakland Coliseum.