A 26-year-old triathlete from Bath, Ed Castro, stormed to the 25-29 World Age Group Sprint Triathlon title in Canada last Friday, 29th August.
Ed, who’s a swimming coach at Bedford Girls’ School, led from start to finish in Edmonton to complete the 26-mile course in just over an hour, with his nearest challenger, Australia’s Craig Davis, finishing 49 seconds further back.
Having only entered the sport two years ago after missing out on swimming in the London 2012 Olympics with a shoulder injury, Ed’s success in North America came on his debut at international level.
“To win the world title for my age group is a massive surprise – it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” said Ed, who trains with Bedfordshire Road Cycling Club.
“After my swimming injury I still had a strong appetite to compete at the highest level in sport, and my background in swimming helped me choose the triathlon, but I’ve had to improve on my cycling and running.
“In Canada it was the fastest I had ever run or cycled in a triathlon race, and this was the key to victory.”
The main event of the weekend saw Olympic Triathlon champion Alistair Brownlee win the Elite Men’s race – which is double the length of the sprint race – with a watching Ed harbouring ambitions of joining Alistair and his brother Jonny at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
“Having watched the success Alistair and Jonny have enjoyed over the last couple of years, I would love to join them in Rio.
“There’s a third spot up for grabs on the Great Britain Triathlon Olympic squad, and I’m confident I can step up to the elite distance and prove myself worthy of a place.”
