More success for Yorkshire
Inter Region gold has gone up north...
With Yorkshire athletes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee winning gold and silver on the Gold Coast, the Yorkshire and Humberside region has added more success by winning the British Triathlon Inter-Regional Championship at Parc Bryn Bach this weekend.
The race is one of the highlights of the triathlon calendar for the Triathlon England regions and Home Nations Associations of Scotland and Wales, providing the opportunity to go head to head for the coveted Championship title.
In the Tri Star 2 category it was the North East who began their campaign well with Jack Willis in first and Jordan Hull in third. Oliver Swallow from the Eastern region completed the podium, separating the two North East athletes in second. For Yorkshire and Humberside it was Harmonie Waterman winning the girl’s Tri Star 2 race that started the success with a great performance finishing in 20:47 just a minute behind the fastest time of the day. Grace Cook from the South East claimed second behind the impressive Waterman, with Sian Rainsley of the West Midlands in third.
In the Tri Star 3 races, the boy’s race was won by Dan Barraclough from the South East, with Scotland’s, Finlay Rae in second and London’s Luke Penney in third. London’s success continued in the girl’s race, with Sky Draper first and Armanni Antoine-Chager in third. The two Londoners were separated by a great performance from South East youngster, Ellie Walton.
The Youth boy’s race saw local Lestyn Harret complete a confident run to come out on top for Wales. When asked about his first major victory on home turf Lestyn said:
“I feel great, I felt strong on the run, that’s my best element. I’ve been on the circuit for a year and it’s been a long time coming. I live half an hour from here, and it’s great to win at a home venue.”
Simon Cooper of the South West stormed home for second, closely followed by Gordon Benson from Yorkshire and Humberside in third, just four seconds behind.
Yorkshire and Humberside enjoyed more success in the Youth girls’ race, with Maddie Winzer claiming victory for the region. With a lot of local support, Hywells Thomas-Howells for Wales finished second, whilst Georgina Schwiening was third.
Following the conclusion of the races, Steve Butler, Vice-Chairman of Welsh Triathlon and Simon Mills, Performance Development Manager from British Triathlon handed out the prizes. Both had felt there had been some standout performances at Parc Bryn Bach, and the day had been a great success.
However, the Inter-Regional Championship is ultimately a team event with all the points gained from the individual performances leading towards the hotly anticipated overall champions. The Eastern region was third and the hotly tipped South East region finished in second place. Top honours went to Yorkshire and Humberside who continued the gold rush in Yorkshire following in the footsteps of the Brownlee brothers on the Gold Coast.
Yorkshire and Humberside, Team Manager Alan Hockey said: “I am really proud of the effort put in by all of the athletes and it was great to see them all enjoying the racing. They are the talent of the future and a great credit to themselves, their parents and triathlon in the region.”
Matt Baird
Editor of Cycling Plus magazine 
