Sponsorship: Paul Horsfall – Triathlete

Paul Horsfall is a triathlete from the Bristol and District (BADTri) club with a determination to represent Team GB at the highest level in his chosen sport.

In his own words:

"Triathlon really took off quickly for me when I joined Bristol and District Triathletes and found that I was among the best swimmers and runners in the club. When I spoke to the head coach, he said that I had the potential to make GB age-group standard with in the first few years of doing the sport provided that I followed a training plan. Winter training went well as I soon realised in the pool I had the upper hand on my fellow athletes. Spring training camp in Tenerife was spent cycling in the mountains (7500m climbing in 5 days) which enabled me to find my legs early on. The summer quickly arrived though and I found myself deep into the racing season. I learned quickly in the sprint races prior to GB selection events achieving great results in the Honiton Aquathon and Lydney Sprint Triathlon – I came 4th overall from a field of 100+ athletes in my first ever triathlon!

"The first Olympic distance triathlons went well. 2hr.06m at Shropshire was an excellent time for my first Olympic distance event. Pembroke was another learning experience and gave a fair result in tricky conditions. At the National Championships in Wakefield, I finally got into the swing of things, coming out just behind the lead group in the swim and holding position during the bike leg. Running was then just a case of holding on to qualify for Hamburg, but overtaking one of my peers on the last lap enabled me to qualify for both the 2007 and 2008 World Championships without the need to race again in September."

A structural engineer by profession, Paul's athletic endeavours are being sponsored by KnowledgeWise and RapidBI for the 2007 & 2008 season.

Follow his progress on his personal website.