Marc Daigneault dedicated gold at the 2023 World Triathlon Duathlon Championships Ibiza to his grandfather, whose passing gave him the motivation to race.
Daigneault was in two minds as to whether to fly to his first-ever international Age-Group race in Ibiza but spurred on by the prospect of doing his grandfather proud, he decided to make the trip and soon reaped the rewards.
Daigneault said: “I wasn’t 100% sure whether I was going to race in the first place. After separating with my partner, I didn’t have anyone to look after the kids so I couldn’t bring them.
“My granddad was in hospital but he started talking about how amazing it was that I’d qualified, we’d never really talked about it before.
“He passed away about a month before the race – he was 93. I thought ‘I’ll use him as inspiration to push hard’. That was the kick I needed to do the race.”
The Great Britain Age-Group Team consists of close to 3,500 British Triathlon Core and Ultimate members each year, all of whom have qualified to represent the team.
Daigneault, who competes in the 40-44 age category, spent most of his race near the front alongside eventual silver medallist Fernando De La Calle Fuentes and 45-49 winner Owen James.
He said: “It was quite a tough race. I got up early and watched the 30-35s go – they took off so fast it was crazy! I went back to the hotel and thought ‘I’ve got to pace myself’.
“I was trying to race my own race, I dropped a hard first kilometre on the second run and the other guys couldn’t hold on. It was at that point that I realised I was going to win.
“It was a weird feeling. I was quite critical of myself because I hadn’t had the strongest bike ride. I was pretty stoked at the end but if it happened now, I wouldn’t be so self-critical”
Daigneault was born in New Zealand but chose to compete for GB because of the support network on offer.
He said: “There were a group of GB people there, dressed up, cheering for anyone in GB kit and it’s just the push you need.
“Most amateurs underestimate how important it is to have a support network. It’s not a solo sport, if you want to do it well it’s a team sport.
“You have to cut out anything that’s dragging you back. I’ve got an amazing coach, Jo Wright, and a psychologist.
“It’s an investment in yourself. I’m crushing training sessions now that 18 months ago I’d look at and know I was going to fail halfway through.”
Daigneault got into triathlon after being challenged by a friend and admits he surpassed his expectations in his first international event.
He said: “It’s just sort of spiralled. My goal going into this was to just enjoy the experience and maybe get a top ten, possibly a podium. Now the big goal is the world 70.3s in New Zealand in December – I’d love to get top ten.
“I wasn’t super excited when I won worlds, but so much has changed since then.
“So many people can get tied up in their performance, but it’s not where you’ll find happiness. For me, it’s about inspiring my friends and family and testing my limits. That is what all it comes down to.”
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.
Age-Group British Triathlon Membership
Photo credit: World Triathlon
