Frome man wins two medals at triathlon world championships

A Frome man has scooped two medals whilst competing against some of the best triathletes in the world at the 2014 ITU World Championships in Edmonton, Canada.

Personal trainer and sports coach, Paul Ryman, won silver in the 30-34 male sprint with a time of 01:01:26; 20 seconds behind Matt Migonis from USA who took gold.

Paul then went on to win a bronze medal in the same category for the Olympic distance race with a time of 01:57:45. Mark Tripp from the USA took silver whilst Robert Johnson from Canada won the gold medal. The sprint race involves a 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run, whilst the Olympic race was twice the distance.

Paul, who has been competing in triathlons since 2006 said, “I had a great time in Canada and the races were really close. This was my third attempt at the sprint and I got a bronze in the previous two, so it was great to get the silver this time. This was my first attempt at the Olympic distance, so overall it was a good set of results.

“This is the first time that Team GB have been allowed to compete in both events as they are usually the day after each other. But this year there was an extra day in between, which is still very close, but with massage and rest I was able to compete again.

“The sprint was my main focus and I was beaten by Matt Migonis, but I managed to get revenge on that one as I beat him in the Olympic distance race as he came 4th. Likewise, I came one place ahead of Robert Johnson in the sprint, who won gold in the Olympic distance. So it was nice that I managed to beat both world champions in the alternative races. It was also good to meet some new people and make friends with the other competitors.

“I am now going to have a bit of time off and rest and plan 2015.”

Paul is a member of Frome Triathlon Club. His website is www.paulrymanfitness.co.uk