The GE Great Britain Triathlon team enjoyed a good warm up for the Barfoot & Thompson World Triathlon Grand Final in Auckland, New Zealand, with success in the Aquathlon event.
Richard Stannard won an elite silver medal, whilst the Paratriatlon and GE Great Britain Age Group team won 22 medals.
Stannard, the defending champion, couldn’t live with Slovakia’s Richard Varga on the swim. Varga, who was first out of the water at the London 2012 Olympic Games, established almost a 30 second lead ahead of the 5km run and was never caught. Stannard finished comfortably ahead of Serbia’s Ognjen Stojanovic, who won the bronze medal.
The Paratriathlon squad claimed six Aquathlon world titles and a further four silver and one bronze medal. Britain’s defending Paratriathlon world champions all look to be in good form ahead of their events on Monday.
The GE Great Britain Age Group team won two gold, two silver and seven bronze medals. Gold medal winners were Mike Trees and Caroline Whittaker.
Beverley Childs, 55, from High Wycombe, who won bronze in the 55-59 age group, said: "It's brilliant, I wasn't expecting it at all."
Childs is competing at her 16th world champs and it was the third time she had competed in the aquathlon. She said of the course: "The swim took me by surprise and the headwind on the run just took you away."
Louise Bardsley, 32, from Reading, who won silver in the 30-34 age group, said: "I'm quite shocked really. I never expected it as I normally need the bike and the run to catch those who come out of the water ahead of me.
"My strategy was to go as hard as I could on the swim. It was so choppy, people were swimming over me. Then I went as fast as I could on run. I had no idea where I was - it was a surprise to be announced as a silver medallist."
The triathlon events take place this weekend, with Jonathan Brownlee aiming to win the ITU world title on Sunday.
Results