Worcester Tri Club Juniors member Nixie Turner achieved her best ever result in the Youth Super Series with a fifth place finish in the Blenheim Palace Triathlon on Sunday in a time of 44.18 minutes, just under a minute behind winner Kate Waugh.

On a warm, sunny day at Blenheim Park, a strong swim saw Turner, who also swims for Worcester Swimming Club and runs for Worcester Athletic Club, emerge second from the water, covering the 400 metre course in just over five minutes.  A group of seven then took up the pace on the cycle leg and with Turner taking her turn to lead they soon opened up a significant gap on the rest of the field of 28 girls, even overtaking several of the boys who had started two minutes ahead of them, and completing the 12.4km course in 23 minutes.  Emerging in seventh place from the second transition Turner made up two places to record her fifth place finish, completing the tough 2.9km run in just over 12 minutes.

Turner now sits 5th overall in the series rankings after a 7th place finish in the British Elite Duathlon Championships at Corby on 30 March and 10th place in the PruHealth London Youth Aquathlon on 31 May.  There are two more events in the series to come, the next being the British Triathlon Championships in Liverpool on 10 August and the finale the British Triathlon U20s Festival at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham, on 22 August.  The best three results in the series count towards the final score.

After the event sixteen-year old Turner commented ‘I’m really pleased with my result at Blenheim as it shows my training is paying off, particularly the work I’ve been doing with Worcester St Johns Cycling Club and the open water swimming sessions with Worcester Tri Club at Upton Warren.  The run used to be by far my strongest discipline but now I feel much more confident in the swim and bike legs.  I hope I can now do as well at Liverpool and Nottingham in August and finish in the top five in the Series’.

Chairman of Worcester Tri Club Duncan Jenkins added: ‘This is another great result for Nixie and we’re all delighted for her.  I’m sure she can go on and achieve great things in Triathlon if she keeps working hard.’