VALE triathlete Anthony Wilson has sent a big thank you to people who helped him compete for his country in last month's world championships in Mexico.

The 21-year-old from Peopleton, near Pershore, was partly funded by regulars at his local pub - the Crown Inn - and sponsors who raised cash towards his training and qualification.

In Cancun, where the 14th ITU World Triathlon Championships were held, Anthony battled against blazing temperatures to complete the 1,500m swim in the sea, 40 km bike ride and 10km run in a time of two hours, 23 minutes and 17 seconds.

He said: "The times were all disappointing because it was so hot. A lot of competitors were collapsing during the race or stopping in tears because they couldn't go on and others were dehydrating at the end and had to be put on drips.

"I don't think I could have continued if it wasn't for the crowd of thousands of people cheering us on all the way. I was just so pleased to finish. I was in tears when I saw the finish line.

"It was such a great experience. The buzz to compete for your country in front of so many people was out of this world. It made me proud, like I'd really achieved something, when I crossed the finish line.

"I want to thank everyone who helped me. I couldn't have done it without the."

Anthony has now set his sights on improving his times at either the championships in New Zealand next December or Spain in May 2004.