Reid eyes up World medal
Duathlon
Duathlete Ian Reid won his third international medal in the past year by landing bronze at the European Championships in Romania.
Maidstone man Reid defied a knee injury that left him struggling to walk weeks before the tournament to take bronze in the 50-54 sprint event.
He finished a 5k run, 20k bike ride and final 2.5k run in 1hr 00min 32sec, coming third behind competitors from Spain and Austria.
The 50-year-old’s latest success saw him add to his European standard and world sprint titles and he’s out to complete his collection with a world standard medal in Holland next year.
Reid said: “My initial goal was just to qualify and make the GB team for one of these events and now I’ve won three medals in the last 12 months.
“It just leaves me with one medal to chase – the elusive world standard – and then anything else is a bonus.
“I’d love to complete the set – it would be nice to have.
“I remember the first one I went to in 2017 watching the guys on the podium thinking, ‘that’s where I want to be’.
“It’s been a fantastic experience. I’ve made so many new friends through the GB team. I almost think of them as a family away from home.” K Sports’ opening preseason friendly was switched from 3G to grass at the request of opponents Ebbsfleet. Fleet boss Garry Hill wasn’t keen to play on the Paperboys’ 3G surface at Cobdown so Saturday’s match took place on a training pitch instead. The National League club won 4-3, with Sports’ goals coming from Regan Corke, Charlie Smith and Callum Marshall. Paperboys manager Kris Browning said: “Their manager didn’t want to play on 3G so it was play on grass or the game’s off. Reid, a plumber, injured his knee at work but was determined to compete. It hampered his running but not his cycling with Reid riding a tactically excellent race in the tight streets of Transylvania.
Late braking into corners and fast acceleration out of them unnerved his rivals and Reid teamed up with two other GB riders to hold off the field.
He said: “I always get these little niggles in my calf but four weeks before the championships I was struggling to even walk at one point because of bruised tendons in my knee, just where I’d been kneeling a lot.
“I knew my cycling was good and I managed to get back running just before I left.
“Across all my years of doing competitions, it’s not over till it’s over, so I wouldn’t back out before the day.
“If I’d got to the start-line and couldn’t race I’d have withdrawn then but I was always going to travel. I never give up.” Reid would like to thank sponsors James Rule, of Defib Your Brain Sports Psychology, and James and Amy Carter from No.5 Beauty and Aesthetics in West Malling. Leybourne Primary School won the Tonbridge and Malling Kwik Cricket Festival. Around 100 young cricketers made up nine teams from six primary schools across the borough competing with each other at the tournament hosted by King Hill Criket Club. St Margaret’s Primary School Year 3 and 4 Team won the Most Sporting Team Award We didn’t mind moving it, we were just pleased they came down to play us. It didn’t matter to us where we played.
“It was a good run-out and a good day for the club to play against a team like that.” Meanwhile, K Sports have been told they can’t change their name to Maidstone Town.
Sports, formerly APM, felt a name-change would boost their profile but the Kent FA has turned their request down.
Browning said: “No one knows where we’re from – we felt the name change would give us more of an identity.
“To be fair, I don’t think Maidstone United had much objection but the Kent FA said that because we fall under the Tonbridge and Malling district, we can’t do it. “It’s their decision and that’s it, so we stayed as K Sports.”
K Sports are looking for a kitman after Barry Fenn stood down. For more information, call Kris on 07932 971121.