Eve Sealy’s Great Britain debut had it all: a reluctant sign-up, a borrowed bike and an eventual win.
The 26-year-old junior doctor is based near Truro and her demanding job coupled with a remote location meant she had given up on the idea of qualifying for the European Duathlon Championships in Venice.
But qualify she did, and with a loaned bike, Sealy made the start line and claimed gold in the 25-29 female age group, winning by 17 seconds.
"It's been a surprise,” said Sealy, who hails from Banchory, Aberdeenshire.
“I think I first found out about the Age-Group thing from a couple of the other Cornish triathletes who have done the champs and had done really well.
“But initially, I dismissed the idea of even trying to qualify, I didn't think I'd be good enough and being based in Cornwall, so many of the qualifiers are quite a long way away.
“That makes it quite logistically challenging to go and do a qualifier, especially with my work rota.
“I decided not to try to qualify and then a couple of months later revisited the idea and thought if I don't try, I’ll never know. I got my act together and went to a qualifier and then qualified and so it all happened from there.”
The Great Britain Age-Group Team consists of close to 3,000 British Triathlon Core and Ultimate members each year, all of whom have qualified to represent the team.
Sealy, who trains with Tri-Logic Cornwall, backed up victory in the duathlon with another Age-Group gold medal in the Middle Distance Aquabike Championships in Menen.
She also competed on back-to-back days at the World Triathlon Championships in Ibiza, finishing fourth in the duathlon before claiming 13th place in the aquathlon.
A former track and field athlete, Sealy took up triathlon during a tough time while studying at the University of Edinburgh.
She explained: “I did track and field as a teenager and loved it and then at uni I went through a fairly rocky period, both in sport but also in general.
“I felt like I needed a new challenge, a new motivation, so decided to try a triathlon and haven't really looked back.
“I absolutely loved it and since moving to Cornwall, I have found my little crowd and just become completely obsessed. I like the variety, I like having the three disciplines to work on.
“I love the pain cave! I like really hard, gruelling, horrible sessions and the feeling of satisfaction.
“And I like the volume as well. I like that I have to do two to three sessions a day sometimes.”
Sealy spent much of last year doing four training sessions each of swim, bike, run every week alongside night shifts.
With a more manageable rota this year, she is hoping to upgrade her fourth place in the World Duathlon Championships.
“Primarily I want to just stay happy and healthy and injury-free,” she said. “That has to be first and foremost in most athletes' minds.
“And then goals wise, I am going to the Europeans in Portugal to do the middle distance triathlon with a big group from Tri-Logic, which is really cool for a small club.
“I came fourth in the world duathlon in Ibiza last year so I would love to podium in that this year.”
British Triathlon Core and Ultimate Home Nation members who are a British citizen are eligible to qualify and race for the Great Britain Age-Group Team. Each year there are a series of qualification races and opportunities to represent the team in a variety of disciplines and distances that are only open to members.
Find out more about the Great Britain Age-Group Team and British Triathlon Home Nation Members by clicking on the buttons below.
