University of Birmingham Sport (UBSport) triathlon team travelled to Wiltshire to compete in the British Universities and Colleges (BUCS) Sprint Triathlon Championships on May 6, and in doing so, came away with a team silver medal.
The Championships showcased the best student triathletes battling it out in a sport which has been growing in popularity in universities across the country over recent years.
The event did not disappoint, and the Birmingham team played a major part in an exciting day of triathlon at Saint Mary’s Sports Centre in Calne, Wiltshire.
For Birmingham, the major highlight of the day was undoubtedly the performance of the women’s A team, who finished in overall second place to take home the team Silver medal.
Birmingham’s top three finishers Emily McLoughlin, Bex Milnes and Sophie Tabor all put in strong individual performances, finishing 8th, 11th and 16th respectively. However, this was not enough to defeat a strong Loughborough side, which included former British Triathlon Junior Super Series Champion Lucy Smith in their line-up.
In the men’s race, Jack Peasgood led home the Birmingham team after he completed the gruelling course in 14th place and a highly competitive time of 1:11:05.
Birmingham’s next two highest placing men, Tom Adams and Matthew Iceton, finished 29th and 38th respectively to ensure that the Birmingham men’s A team finished the day in respectable 8th place.
The day itself though was dominated by Loughborough, who also managed to come away with men’s team and individual gold, which was won by Luke Watson.
Despite this though, UBSport development manager Chris Anthony was delighted with the team’s performances: ‘Birmingham had the biggest number of competitors there and it really made a difference in the support, from those attempting their first triathlon to those hoping to medal. That the women’s team managed to medal given the strength of the opposition was as much to do with the atmosphere of the clubs, as the hours of hard work the individuals and coaches had put in leading up to the event.’