Posted: June 14, 2007

Triathlon: Strong start for Tribal triathlon team

It was a busy weekend for the newly formed Tribal triathlon team as they competed at both the BG Triathlon World Cup in Vancouver, Canada and at the Corus Elite British Championships at Bryn Bach Park in Wales. Andrew Wright from Hong Kong was Tribal’s sole representative in Canada as he battled triathlon’s top international competitors on the other side of the World. Having exited the tough sea swim in the second pack, the Olympic hopeful sat in with fellow countryman, Daniel Lee in a large group on the bike before exiting for the 10km run. Wright went on to finish 34th, a position he was pleased with considering that he had been suffering from a viral infection for much of the spring which limited his training. The race was won by national hero and 2000 Olympic Games champion, Simon Whitfield from Canada. Following his race, Wright said: “It was really tough out there today, but it was a great feeling to have finally started a World Cup in 2007. I’ve had so many set backs at the start of the year, I can now think about the rest of the season and try and qualify for next year’s Olympic Games.” Also on at the weekend, top British athletes including World Triathlon Champion, Tim Don, congregated at Bryn Bach Park, Wales for the British Championships, which also doubled up as the second leg of the Corus Elite Series. Tribal duo, Dann Brook and Mark Bruce, both had good wetsuit swims and exited in the front pack, taking them into transition close together. The leading group quickly broke up on the tough bike course, but eventually Dann and Mark came together in the closing stages where they worked hard before entering transition two. Mark got the jump on Dann early on in the run and held on to take eighth place with Dann just behind in tenth. They were the second and third under 23 athletes to cross the line, and as such, hope to be selected for the Great Britain squad for the Under 23 European Triathlon Championships which are being held in Kuopio, Finland on 21st July. Mark Bruce commented: “The course had a really tough bike lap with lots of hills, I was taking on my Leppin energy gels every 20 minutes just to get through it! I hope Dann and I will get GB selection following our performances, we certainly gave everything out there.” Following their weekend performances, Dann will next race at the French Grand Prix Triathlon in Dunkerque in two weeks time whilst Mark turns his attention to a European Triathlon Cup in Germany this weekend. Andrew Wright now gears up for the Edmonton BG Triathlon World Cup in Canada in a fortnight, before flying out to Japan for an Asian Triathlon Cup race. About Tribal Tribal is an elite squad of three under 23 international athletes, Dann Brook, Mark Bruce and Andrew Wright who train at the British Triathlon High Performance Centre in Loughborough. With aspirations of being the number one triathlon team in the UK, they are looking to win domestic competitions as well as compete on the international stage at BG World Cup races and ITU European and World Championships. About Leppin: www.leppinsport.com Leppin Sport make products for energy, strength, speed, endurance, body building, dieting, general health, injury rehabilitation and general quality of life. Their mission is "to assist athletes in being the best they can possibly be." They have sourced raw materials of the highest grade from around the world in an effort to supply the best quality product that delivers the best results – every time. About Blue Seventy: www.blueseventy.com For the past 15 years, under the name of Ironman Wetsuits, Blue Seventy lead the world in design technology and performance. They have always been about exploring limits, and exploring the open water. That's why they have become blue seventy, with seventy percent of the world covered in water its time to let them take you there. Athlete Biographies Dann Brook www.dannbrook.co.uk DOB: 16th September 1985 From: Barnsley, England Coach: Simon Ward 2007 Goal: Top 10 at ITU Triathlon Under 23 World Championships Highlights: 10th National Championships, Tredegar, UK, 2007   10th Copenhagen ETU European Cup, Denmark, 2006   11th Michelob ULTRA London Triathlon, UK, 2006   11th National Championships, Windsor, UK, 2006   13th Lausanne ITU Triathlon Under 23 World Championships, Switzerland, 2006   14th Rijeka ITU Triathlon Under 23 European Championships, Croatia, 2006 Mark Bruce   DOB: 4th December 1984 From: Sheffield, England Coach: Ben Bright, Mark McKay 2007 Goal: Top 10 at ITU Triathlon Under 23 World Championships Highlights: 8th National Championships, Tredegar, UK, 2007   11th San Remo ETU European Cup, Italy, 2006   9th Palermo ETU European Cup, Majorca, 2005   33rd Queenstown ITU Triathlon Junior World Championships, Australia, 2003 Andrew Wright www.tri-wright.com DOB: 23rd August 1983 From: Hong Kong Coach: Ben Bright 2007 Goal: Qualify for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Highlights: 9th Tongyeong ASAT Triathlon Asian Championships, South Korea, 2007   5th Amakusa Asian Triathlon Cup, Japan, 2007   1st ASAT Triathlon Under 23 Asian Championships, 2006   7th Doha Asian Games Triathlon, Qatar, 2006   11th Macau Asian Triathlon Cup, 2006 Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest