GAIL MERRIEN produced a fantastic best-ever performance at the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Lausanne. The Guernsey woman finished sixth of 64 competitors in the 40-44-year-old category.

Travelling as part of the Great Britain team of more than 290 triathletes, Merrien was well prepared for the hilly course having completed plenty of specialised training around Guernsey with the help of Commonwealth Games triathlete Alan Rowe.

Conditions for the Olympic distance race – 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run – were slightly overcast but warm with a calm Lake Geneva making for perfect conditions.

Merrien had a strong swim and was fifth at the start of transition.

However during the very long run of around 2km into transition, her practice in the ‘fourth discipline’ showed as she left the area in first place, overtaking the four girls in front and making up over a minute on the eventual winner in her category.

The bike section was very hilly and technical, but Merrien made the best use of her specific training for the course as she gained another 30 seconds on the other athletes within the first two of the four-lap cycle course.

She continued to lead the bike discipline until the last half-a-lap, when she was eventually overhauled by the overall winner of the age group, Holly Nybo, from the USA.

‘I found the bike section really exhilarating as I was fast and fearless on the downhill and the training I’ve done on the uphills paid off. It wasn’t until the end of the bike section that anyone caught me,’ she said.

Following another long transition of 3min 42sec. from bike to run, Merrien held on to second place until some of the stronger runners proved their dominance in the last discipline.

Afterwards, a very satisfied Merrien said: ‘The race was my best ever. I’d done the training and I was feeling really lean and keen. I’d prepared for the tough bike course and my tactics of fast transitions and pushing the bike section worked.

‘There were no ﾓif onlysﾔ at the end. I’d done the best I could and was really pleased as sixth place against such strong runners was excellent and better than I had hoped for.’

n Meanwhile, Mark Naftel and Robert Fusellier experienced contrasting fortunes in Ironman UK, which featured 1,300 competitors in Sherborne, Dorset.

On a challenging and hilly course, Naftel crossed the finished line in 12hr 26min. 37sec. for 529th place overall from 1,038 finishers.

‘I was disappointed not to have broken my goal of 12 hours for the event,’ he said afterwards. ‘I was beaten by the hills.’

An exhausted Fusellier retired on the bike stage after seven hours.