Looking for a different break as Tokyo nears
Stirling triathlete Grant Sheldon says he hasn’t given up his Tokyo dream despite a season disrupted by injuries.
The 25 year-old’s season came to an unexpected halt after a freak treadmill accident left him nursing a broken wrist last month - the latest in a line of unfortunate injuries which has left Sheldon frustrated throughout 2019.
In August, Grant, a sportscotland institute of sport supported athlete, secured a third-placed finish at the Karlovy Vary ITU Triathlon World Cup in the Czech Republic, and followed that with another third place at the Weihai World Triathlon Cup in China in September.
But with time on his side before the new season starts, and selections still to be made for the Team GB triathlon team at Tokyo 2020, he is in positive mood that he can give himself a chance of his first Olympic appearance.
Grant, originally from Hamilton but now living and training in Stirling, said: “It’s been a very up and down year. Lots of little unfortunate injuries. In January I fell off my bike and cracked my ribs, then in my first race back I stood on something and sliced my foot open, I had to get stiches on the sole of my foot after that.
“After that I was just trying to get fit after losing a bit of time. I was building back up towards the end of the season and had a good couple of races, then I broke my wrist which has cut the season short.
“Tokyo is still a possibility. In the men’s triathlon no one has really staked a claim for selection yet, so everything is still up for grabs. The door has definitely not been shut.
“It’s obviously going to be hard and it’s going to rely on me racing really well in February and March to get into the races in April and May. The automatic qualifying races have gone, and nobody made it so it’s just about staking a claim for selection the best I can.”
Grant has twice appeared in the Commonwealth Games - in 2018 on Australia’s Gold Coast Games where he finished 17th in the individual event and seventh in the Mixed