Yiannis | World Triathlon Sprint Championships
Centre member Yiannis competed at the 2023 World Triathlon Sprint Championships in the 40-44 male age group sprint event, with the Championship taking place in Hamburg, Germany on Friday 14th July.
At the end of June Yiannis competed in the British Middle Distance Championships, with the race being touch and go. This was due to Yiannis picking up a sore throat a few days before the race, which then turned into a full blow cold. He rested on the Friday, travelled Saturday morning but then felt much better Saturday evening/Sunday morning. Even though he was wasn’t feeling 100%, Yiannis felt he was able to compete.
Yiannis said “It was a lovely course and I was slower in the swim then normal, as I started to feel a little achy with my breathing becoming erratic, so I eased off and was cautious. I carried on with the race and nearly gave up during the cycle, this was just before the feed station as I was feeling so fatigue at around 25 miles. All of a sudden I started feeling myself and picked up the pace, I felt normal and decided to stay on course. The run was fine and the time was just a few minutes off what I achieved last time, I was 12th in my age group and overall I enjoyed it”.
So on to the World Championships and Yiannis ended up resting most of the week before as he couldn’t shift his cold.
Yiannis started the swim next to Stuart Hayes, who inspired him from the London 2012 Olympics. Yiannis said “it was amazing to be starting next to someone who inspired me in 2012 from the Olympics to start my journey, we had a nice chat the day before. However, during the swim I got boxed in with a group and wasn’t able to move out, so I stayed with them”.
He came into transition which was very long but was smiling and feeling good, he then got onto the bike and was with a few people. They worked hard together for a few miles and then he found the pace tough, this was due to the race being his first sprint triathlon since September and also his legs being tired from last weekend’s race.
Yiannis explained “I then ended up being in a big group but I was working hard to stay with them, so after 9 miles I lost the back of the group and ended up pulling back. I tried to catch them but it was too late and they pulled away. I was struggling so I eased off, luckily the next group caught me up and I tucked in with them in to transition. I got on to the run, over taking almost both groups by the end of transition. My legs felt good and I pushed on, even though I know last weekends race was still in my system, so I didn’t over do it”.
“I was smiling along the run and even talking to people who were cheering me on, I finished 12th overall and the 2nd Brit in my age group. I was really happy to get a pre-qualification for next year and be eligible to race in the 2024 Triathlon World Championship event, as I was not expecting it”. Yiannis said that he enjoyed and loved every minute of the World Champs, as it was the most relaxed he had ever been in a race and that he had no targets but just to enjoy it.
Up next for Yiannis is the British Standard Distance Championships in Sunderland.
