Island Games Gotland 2017:
This year I turned 18 years old, which meant I was eligible to represent Jersey in the Olympic distance triathlon in the Island games, which was being held in Gotland Sweden. After only participating in one Olympic distance event before, I didn’t really know what to expect so I went into the race very open minded.
Swim: The swim was unfortunately shortened by race officials due to the choppy conditions, which immediately put me at a disadvantage considering my swim is one of my strongest disciplines. I had to maintain my composure and make the most of the 400m swim. I had a good swim coming out with race winner Dan Halksworth (Jersey athlete). Coming into transition I managed to have a very slick change over and was out onto the bike course in 1st position.
Bike: My moment of glory was short lived when Dan flew past me like I wasn’t moving. I hadn’t been on my TT bike much so I knew I was always going to struggle on the 40k non-drafting leg of the race. After being overtaken by a few other athletes I needed to ensure my head didn’t drop. It was important I got into a rhythm so I could save energy for the run.
Run: After a rather disappointing bike I wanted to make it up on the run, my sprint distance experience didn’t help I ran out of transition at my 5K pace and by the second lap of 5k I had bonked completely. I managed to cling on to my position and finish in 9th place.
Conclusion: All in all massive experience gained and to top it all off Jersey swept the Triathlon medal table with both team gold’s and two individual gold and one bronze. To conclude my first Island Games was truly unforgettable and this motivates me to qualify and improve for Gibraltar in 2019. Once again none of this would be achievable without the help of my sponsors thank you to Fairway Jersey who provide my travel, accommodation and my running kit. In addition Pedal Power who provide me with all the latest top of the range gear and bikes. TYR sport who provide me with leading swim equipment and suits. Finally SportsHub who continue to branch out my social media channels and provide me with 5* recovery treatment courtesy of Hotel de France.
Ollie Turner - Triathlete 