Multiple British champion Chris Goulden is at the top of his game and has a lifetime of experience within the sport to thank for his rise.
The 66-year-old sprint and standard distance British champion is out to defend his status in 2024 with an eye on the World and European Championships.
There are eight British Championships in 2024 that cover various multisport disciplines and distances, with British Triathlon Core and Ultimate members eligible to become British champion. See when this year’s championships are here: https://www.britishtriathlon.org/british-championships.
The Llantrisant native won the 65-69 World Triathlon Age-Group Championships in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and has an opportunity to regain his crown in Torremolinos-Andalucia later this year.
British Champions automatically qualify for the following year’s Age-Group World and European Championships in the discipline they became British Champion in.
Goulden won his first Age-Group Championships three decades ago and has remained invigorated by the variety the sport has to offer ever since.
He said: “The sport has evolved massively and it’s such an exciting place to be at the moment because of that.
“It’s been a long and chequered career of doing a lot of things. I used to be a swimmer and triathlon was the opportunity to challenge myself in a different way.
“It’s a very exciting sport to get into and if I ever wanted to tick something off, triathlon is one of those things – it’s stayed with me forever.
“I’m very proud of those wins, the medals are held up and the trophies that go along with that are in a nice part of the house.
“British Champion status is the pinnacle if you want to race in this country – I always look forward to the British Championships and I’m looking forward to doing them this year as well and see what happens.”
Mallory Park Triathlon will host this year’s British Sprint Triathlon Championships in August while the Royal Windsor Triathlon will be home to the British Standard Distance Championships in June.
Split into five-year age categories in the individual non-para races, only British Triathlon Core and Ultimate members are in with a chance of becoming British Champion, whilst the British Paraduathlon and Paratriathlon Championships also form part of the British Triathlon Paratri Super Series.
Goulden, with training group American Flyers, is constantly striving to push to the next level and believes his mentality will serve him well in months to come.
He coached triathlon titan Helen Jenkins in her early career and is humbled to have contributed to the early stages of the British Triathlon powerhouse that continues to prove itself on the world stage.
He said: “I’m very proud of that association with Helen and helping her get involved, she was British junior champion for several years and then she went into the senior ranks.
“Even though I’m getting on in age now, I’m still learning from the youngsters, especially when it comes to sports like swimming which has evolved massively.
“I cannot speak highly enough of British Triathlon as a unit, we’ve all seen the results over the years, the guys in charge of the programme, they’ve been wise with those selections.
“They’re always tapping into the newest training trends and the sense of always searching for that last one per cent, they make sure everything is done to its utmost.
“British Triathlon has done a wonderful job to support leading athletes and the guys coming through from grassroots and all the way through to Age-Group like myself who are still enjoying what the sport can offer.”
You can find out more about the 2024 British Championships and British Triathlon membership to be eligible to compete through the buttons below.
