ALL FUN AND GAMES

Q

Triathlon made its first Olympic appearance in 2000 in Sydney (right). What was it like to be involved in that?

A

That was very late in my career so racing in front of my fans was one of a kind. It was a great course, great crowd. It was just amazing .

Q

You went on to win silver at 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. You were three seconds behind Canada’s Simon Whitfield. How did those final stages play out?

A

Simon had broken away and I was running with a group of three with Simon Lessing and Hamish Carter. Simon was a five-time world champion and Hamish went on to become an Olympic champion so I was in some pretty good company. Simon was off the front a bit and Hamish and I were running together and Simon Lessing got dropped. We were in the medals and I think we started focusing too much on that and not chasing down Simon. We tried to catch him towards the end but he was too far in front. It wasn’t my most tactical race but I was very happy to get a medal. I was pretty late in my career by then. I was in my 18th year as a professional athlete.

Q

So with a world title, Commonwealth Games medal and many more wins, do you feel like you got the most out of your career?

A

I’m one of those people who is fairly happy with their career. I don’t look back and go “I should have, would have or could have”. I could have done more or less but I’m happy. I had a really good time. I enjoyed every part of it and I have walked away content with my place in the sport. It was what it was.