A Weymouth College Sports lecturer won Bronze at the European Aquathlon Championships last week. Tom Priest, 27, from Crewkerne, travelled to Cologne in Germany for the event last Saturday, 31 May.
Similar to the triathlon but without the cycling-section, the Aquathlon is a dual-discipline race consisting of a 1,000 meter open-water swim followed by a 5,000 meter run. Tom’s time of 35.14 put him almost two full minutes ahead of the next-fastest competitor, the Ukrainian Olexandr Khramtsov, and was enough to earn him a Bronze medal.
His medal-winning finish has also earned Tom a place in Team GB for the 2014 World Championships, which will take place in Edmonton, Canada in August.
Following the race, Tom said:
Racing at my first international event, I was a complete mix of nerves and excitement. The open-water swim didn’t allow for much personal space, which made it hard to establish any kind of swimming rhythm, so I was really pleased with my time. I am now looking forward to pushing on with training and local races ready for the World Championships.
The Aquathlon is not yet an Olympic sport. As such, it is self-funded; even those racing for the Great Britain squad, like Tom, are expected to pay for their own travel and accommodation. Weymouth College, which is one of only five UK Colleges ranked Outstanding for Sport by Ofsted, was therefore pleased sponsored Tom to race in Cologne.
Rob Jones, Vice Principal said:
Everyone at Weymouth College is really proud of Tom’s achievement. We want to provide a positive learning environment and inspiring tutors for our students – Sport lecturers don’t get much more inspiring than Team GB medal winners!
