Team GB today added another 10 medals to their tally, to bring their total haul to 28 following yesterday's aquathlon action.
But the second day of competition started with a disappointing result for GB hopeful Gordon Benson, in the men’s U23 race. The 2015 European Games victor was in the lead quintet heading onto the final 10km, but couldn’t hang on as the pace kicked up, finishing fifth and affording the win to last year’s world junior silver medallist, Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS). Benson’s teammates Chris Perham and Marc Austin finished 26th and 33rd, respectively.
GB’s luck soon turned, though, as a field of 313 of the county’s best athletes over the 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run race set off on the medal hunt. First to trouble the podium was M25-29 athlete and 2015 European AG champ Edward Castro, who dropped two places from last year’s Sprint Champs to finish in third.
The sole gold for the Team GB squad was afforded to Alan Bremner in the M55-59 category, whose previous best in this group was third at July’s European Champs.
The union flag was raised twice at the men’s 30-34 medal ceremony, with Benjamin Terry (fourth in yesterday’s Aquathlon AG Champs) mounting the step to take silver ahead of last year’s second-place finisher Paul Ryman.
Early results showed Lena Poulton in bronze position for F40-44 AG before a later refresh saw her bumped up to silver, which will go nicely with her bronze from the 2015 Europeans. Teammate and regular podium botherer Georgina Jennings joined her in her silver-medal winning ways in the 70-74 category with a time of 1:38:18.
Last to cross the line to take a medal home to the UK was recent 220 podcast profilee, Dafne Belt. More use to racing longer distances, the Kona finisher picked up bronze in a race she described as a “warm-up before Saturday’s race”, when she will be hoping to retain her Olympic-distance age-group title. [Dafne will be reporting from both events in the November issue of 220.]
At time of print, the Men’s Junior Champs were postponed due to a “fast approaching thunderstorm with high probability of lightning.” We will provide updates and race action as soon as it gets the green light.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s championship action, which, hopefully, will include the Paratriathlon, U23 Women’s, Junior Women’s and the Elite Women’s.
GB Sprint Medallists
Gold
Alan Bremner, M55-59 1:06:08
Silver
Benjamin Terry, M30-34 1:02:39
Elizabeth Bullivant, F35-39 1:07:16
Lena Poulton, F40-44 1:09:06
Georgina Jennings, F70-74 1:38:18
Bronze
Edward Castro, M25-29 1:01:10
Paul Ryman, M30-34 1:02:46
Christopher Owens, M60-64 1:13:07
Emma Fisher, F45-49 1:11:41
Daphne Belt, F75-79 2:09:00
(Photo credit: David Pearce)
