SportsAid

James Smith

Athlete page

James is not only a top class athlete but a great ambassador for what is a fairly young sport. Having only competed for three years himself, he is already ranked no. 3 in Europe and no. 2 in Great Britain.

At the start of the year his aspirations were to get some experience at International level. At the European Championships in July he brought home a bronze medal. James said: “The European Championships, well I can’t describe what a wonderful experience it was.  For starters, it was the first time I’d ever pulled on a GB kit, every little boys dream!  The race was wonderfully organized and the support of the local town, Holten, was amazing. I managed a personal best time of 02:41:48 and came home with a European bronze medal.”

After this, his focus turned to Hyde Park in August, where the largest Para Triathlon ever held in Europe took place. To his own admitted surprise, James managed to beat the current World Champion claiming the gold medal. Commenting on this victory he said: “The funny thing was the first question he <the current World Champion> asked me was ‘Are you going to the World Champs next month?’. I think he was relieved to find out I wasn’t.  The European and World Championships will be my focus for next year as my performance in Hyde Park showed me that I could beat the best so now I have to prove it.”

Speaking of the support he received from SportsAid through the Celtic Challenge James said: “The squad is not funded at the moment due to it not being part of the Paralympics, SportsAid’s help is greatly appreciated and a valuable contribution to the progression of the sport and myself.  British Triathlon is working hard to get triathlon into the Paralympics in 2012.  It will be fantastic if it is included as a demonstration sport in 2012 and has full inclusion in 2016.”