MALVERN'S Abi Senior was selected for the inaugural Glasgow European Championships Age Group Sprint Distance Triathlon in Strathclyde.

Senior, in the 16 to 19 age category, was 18th in her first international event, completing the swim in 13.02, bike in 41.49 and run in 23.57 for 1.22.40 overall.

She said: “It was an amazing experience and a privilege to represent Age Group GB.

"I’m very pleased with 18th for my debut on the international stage and I’m looking forward to improving my performance for the future.”

Malvern club endurance athletes tackled unrelenting heat at events.

Steve Butler completed the brutal Sandman middle distance challenge in Snowdonia, Wales, in six hours 45 minutes.

He did a mile swim in 35 minutes, a 56-mile bike section up Pen-y-Pass and a run involving an 800-metre climb up a mountain.

Eight competed alongside 1,500 others in a faster, flatter middle-distance event at Cotswold Water Park.

The 6.30am swim start enabled athletes to complete the bike leg before a 13-mile run in unrelenting sunshine.

Jayne Ackroyd, Lorraine Brooks, Clive Brooks, John Bryant, Gulab Chauhan, Colin Davies, Heather Kirk and Matt Downes all performed well.

Ackroyd delivered a 46.29 swim, 2.50.45 bike section and 1.53.44 run for 5.37.22 overall and fifth in her age group.

It was a selection qualifying time for the world championship long-distance aquabike in 2019 and possibly the world championship middle-distance as well.

Downes delivered in 5.30.44 in the 18 to 49 age group, doing the swim in 33.23, bike in 2.51.57 and run in 1.57.09.

Chauhan, a novice competitor at the distance, did a non-wetsuit swim in 40.05, the bike in 3.27 and run in 2.17.33 for 6.24 overall.

The Brooks formed a relay team with an injury from earlier in the year preventing Lorraine from running.

They clocked 6.08.28 with Lorraine doing the swim in 37.06 and bike in 2.50.24 and Clive the run in 2.35.56.

Lorraine had selection qualifying times for the world long-distance aquabike world championships in 2019.

Team Kirk completed in 5.15.23 with Bryant doing the swim in 32.48, Kirk the bike in 3.06 and Davies the run in 1.33.33.

In Birmingham, Sheila Sheringham and Janet Adsett entered the BRAT sprint event but algae  scuppered the swim, meaning a sprint duathlon instead.

Sheringham completed in 1.27.30  and Adsett in 1.15.27.