Run highlighted Dillon's class

JENKINS AND DILLON TAKE GOLD

Marc Jenkins and Michelle Dillon beat off tough competition in Swansea to claim the British National Triathlon titles, with both races going down to the wire.

An impressive bike ride from Marc Jenkins gave him an unassailable lead going into the run. He managed to hold off a stiff challenge from world Duathlon Champion, Tim Don, who cut Jenkins’ lead out of transition from almost two minutes to just 35 seconds over the 10k final discipline, but it wasn’t enough to beat the local boy.

For Jenkins, his performance on the bike more than made up for a poor swim: “Until today, my swimming has been going great but my plan to stick to Richard Stannard today didn’t quite work.  Andrew Johns and I sat up on the bike and waited for the next group and then we could get started.

“To lead for 20k of the 40k ride on my own was fantastic, I was really hurting on the bike, and when I came to the run I just put my head down and held my own pace,” he said.

As expected Richard Stannard was first out of the water and stayed in the lead pack in both the bike and the run, beating Richard Allen to claim third.

In the women’s race, Michelle Dillon trailed the leading pack out of the water, with seven athletes, including Leanda Cave, ahead of her. Julie Dibens was part of the leading group, but two punctures thwarted her challenge.

Dillon closed the gap on the first pack during the ride, and went into the run 53 seconds behind Cave. Her class as a former 10,000m runner shone through and she overtook Cave with just half a mile to go.

With the finish line in her sights, Dillon still wasn’t convinced she’d win: “I thought on the last lap of the run that Leanda looked strong, but I decided to go for it and she didn’t respond, but I still thought she would out sprint me at the finish.”

Cave said: “A one minute lead off the bike is not enough to hold off someone like Michelle. To her credit she’s already done well this year, coming third in Ishigaki, and I knew it would be hard today. I look forward to a rematch at Manchester’s World Cup as I fancy my chances, having come second on the same course at last year’s Commonwealth Games.”

The race was a final chance to qualify for the European Championships, to be held in Carlsbad later this month.

The men's team for the event is Richard Allen, Paul Amy, Tim Don, Marc Jenkins and Richard Stannard. Tanja Allen and Jess Harrison have been rewarded for their strong performances in Swansea with a place in the European squad alongside Michelle Dillon, Leanda Cave and Andrea Whitcombe.

Photography © Getty Images