A UCLan member of staff from New Longton has been crowned English Duathlon Champion 2022

Steve Abbott, who works in the Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre, took the top title in the 45 to 49 age group and placed 13th overall at the recent national event.

The 45-year-old, from New Longton, completed a 10km run, a 40km bike and finished with another 5km run in 1 hour 57 minutes 08 seconds.

Steve, a dad-of-one said: “I am delighted to have performed so well and got the gold medal but more importantly I’ve now claimed the English Championship title. It’s a race I was meant to compete in back in 2020 but I’m really pleased I’ve topped my age category despite it being rolled over due to Covid-19.”

The event, which doubles up as a qualification race to the 2023 European Triathlon Union Championships, took place in and around Darlington, mostly on Croft motor racing circuit, as well as on the County Durham roads.

The British Cycling Road and time trial qualified coach, who also competed in the British Duathlon Championships two weeks prior, said: “My bike handling skills aided me greatly on the technical open road bike route. Being in a time trial position for an extended period can be quite uncomfortable especially after a 10km run at race pace. The uneven roads and strong winds made it an even tougher day for pure runners, so having those specific knowledge and skills made it a little easier to endure.”

Steve’s next physical challenge will be representing the Great Britain Age Group team at the 2022 European Championships in Bilbao in September.