Biography

My path to Triathlon started the same as many, in the Swimming pool. My Mum and Dad were both keen sailors so it was important for me to learn to swim. I started swimming lessons at the Chester City baths with my older sister Sarah, I didn’t take to the water at first, so much so that I was asked to leave as I wouldn’t get in the water!

Fortunately I was persuaded to give swimming another go and followed my sister into the squad system at Chester swimming club. It wasn’t long till swimming started taking over mine and the rest of my family’s lives with competitions most weekends. A defining moment was watching my sister swim in the Welsh Championships in Cardiff and winning a Bronze medal, I told my parents that I was going to win Gold, and little did they know I was serious! Within 4 years I had my Gold; in one Championship I won 5 titles and a national record in the 100m free.

My appetite for winning was described to me recently by my first coach Ken Jones as ‘the most determined person / athlete I’ve ever met let alone coached.” However during my later teenage years the wins were drying up, I did not develop into the six foot monster required to be a successful international swimmer so I looked to a new challenge: Biathlon which is a swim and run event with a break between. Without doing any run training just the odd school cross country, I won the National Schools Championships at my first attempt.

At School I was a hard worker and keen sportsmen taking part in football, rugby and athletics teams, through Abbey Gate College I competed for the County on the track and country, came 4th at the National Independent Schools Cross Country and was a multiple gold winner in the National swimming competition still holding the 50 and 100 freestyle records. In my final year I became the Head boy which was an amazing privilege.

Following my success in the Biathlons I became interested in giving triathlon a go. At the open day for Loughborough University I went to see Dan Salcedo the Head men’s coach at the British Triathlon High Performance Centre, he was keen on getting me into Triathlon and put me on the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) level of funding. My first forays into Triathlon didn’t go well, exiting the water in the lead group I often found myself touching the tarmac, my worst crash being in London Triathlon where I fractured my wrist, I still managed to dust myself off however and finish 18th in the junior elite wave.

My second season was far more successful having spent my first year in Loughborough training with the High Performance group, unfortunately I just missed out on selection for the World and European Championships in my final year as a junior. Since moving to U23 level and the Full Olympic distance I have improved steadily.

My first Olympic distance race was Windsor in 2006, it was an amazing experience having just about made the lead pack I was so excited I went to do a turn on the front and rode off the front by accident then had an Olympian Marc Jenkins sprinting after me trying to get me in a break which I really didn’t want to be in because I wanted just to finish this was the first moment I realized that Triathlon was something I really wanted to take seriously!

My last race was Bala in 2006 which doubled as the Welsh Championships, I was keen to win another Welsh title in a new sporting event, after a solid race I won or at least I thought had till 3 minutes before the presentations where I was informed I had been disqualified for drafting on the bike, but that’s racing, but the comments of some people regarding this following the race only made me hungrier going into the winters training!

My last season was a real mixed bag but I still learnt a lot, I competed in my first European Cups, got a Bronze and Gold medal in the BUSA (British Universities) triathlon. London International Triathlon was my major race going into the season as it was the qualifying race for the World U23 Championships, unfortunately injury following a racing accident involving a car at Chester Triathlon had enforced a 3 week end to running in the lead up to the race but I knew I was in good swim and bike shape. I had a solid swim but missed the lead pack of 6 through transition I settled into the chase pack of four with the current Olympic Silver medalist and a World Cup winner, and there was me mixing it with the Big Boys in only my second full season! Although I tailed off in the run finishing 15th I realized that I could be competitive at the highest level of the sport.

This leads me up to now; I have just come back from a solid few weeks training in South Africa where I was lucky enough to train and learn from some of the best athletes in the world; the 2008 season should see me in the best racing shape I’ve ever been in so watch out!!!