College worker Nicole Walters was “grinning from ear to ear” as she guided Melissa Reid to victory in the World Para – Triathlon Championships.
The Student Engagement Officer at City of Bath College said being at the Para-triathlete’s side when she won a gold medal at Hyde Park in London was “the best feeling in the world.”
The pair were tethered on a 750m swim, cycled on a tandem for the 22.5 km bike course and were tethered again for the 5km run on September 13th.
They crossed the finish line in one hour, 13 minutes and 24 seconds, having raced in front of more than 5,000 spectators who lined the course.
Melissa not only won gold in the Tri-6 category for visually-impaired athletes but was also named the overall fastest Para-Triathlete.
Nicole said she had been inundated with messages of support and was greeted by cheering colleagues when she returned to work at City of Bath College this week.
She said: “It was really good. It felt really great, I was grinning from ear to ear; it was the best feeling in the world.
“It was a very wet and rainy day and not the best conditions to be racing in, but we got the job done.
“Melissa was so happy and rightly so. It was her dream to win the World Championships and she did it!”
Melissa continued her winning streak as in just eight months of working with Nicole she has already secured two gold medals.
She won a gold medal in the European Championships in Turkey in June, then the following month she secured another gold at the British Championships in Liverpool.
Melissa and Nicole were awarded their World Para-Triathlon Championships gold medals in Trafalgar Square in front of a crowd of thousands of people.
Nicole, who trains as part of the Team Bath Squad, said: “It was quite nerve-wracking as there were a lot more people than I expected.
“I’ve never had to stand up in front of that many people before, but it’s so nice that so many people came out to support us.
“Everyone has been really, really positive. People keep congratulating us and our families and friends are so pleased.”
Nicole admits she “hasn’t had any time to celebrate yet” as she’s also been busy helping to organise City of Bath College’s Freshers’ Fair.
But she is now taking a break from training before teaming up with Melissa again to plan their 2014 season.
Nicole said: “I’m taking a little step back to give myself a break both mentally and physically. But I’ll be back training by October or November.”
The duo is now hoping they will make it to the Paralympics as Para-Triathlon will be included for the first time in Rio in 2016.
