KEIGHLEY triathlete Jimmy Lund is grateful for the ‘friendly rivalry’ he has with fellow Brit Chris Perham, with the training partners hoping to be at the World Beach Games together later this year.

Lund, still only 23, comes from a swimming background, which benefitted him earlier this month as he finished third at the World Triathlon Aquathlon Championships in Ibiza.

Perham came second at the event, with those podium places qualifying the pair for the World Beach Games in Bali this August.

Whether Lund and Perham are able to compete out in Indonesia is a different story however.

Discussing his Ibiza performance and what that means, Lund said: “I’m really happy to have come third out there.

“There’s no cycling involved in an Aquathlon, so there’s more focus on the swim, which suits me with my swimming background.

“The swim means that bit more, so I’ve always enjoyed the Aquathlon.”

Lund added: “I’d already raced in Quarteira (in Portugal) in March which was a good warm-up for me.

“It was nice to start the season a bit earlier than usual, as I wouldn’t normally get going until May.

“I did the event in Ibiza was to qualify for the World Beach Games, as that’s where they hold the Aquathlon event, with it not being in the Olympics.

“Chris and I have both made it, coming second and third in Ibiza, but now it’s up to Team GB and whether they send a team out there, which will come down to funding.”

On his relationship with Perham, four years his senior, Lund said: “We’re good friends and we were training partners at the Loughborough Training Performance Centre.

“He doesn’t go there any more, but we still train together on separate occasions.

“It pushes us both to a higher level having that friendly rivalry.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Jimmy Lund and Chris Perham have known each other for years, and raced against each other in Ibiza earlier this month.Jimmy Lund and Chris Perham have known each other for years, and raced against each other in Ibiza earlier this month. (Image: UGC.)

The podium in Ibiza backs up a strong display at the European Triathlon Aquathlon Championships in Bilbao last September, which saw Lund finish fourth in the elite men’s race.

It seems Lund enjoys racing in Southern Europe then, and he said: “I was actually second Under-23 in that race in Bilbao, but 2023 is my first year as a senior, so Ibiza was a first world podium.

“We have heat facilities in Loughborough, so we have heat preparation before those events abroad.

“The training camp I had in Portugal last month helped me acclimatise to Ibiza too.

“That heat preparation will be different and even more important if I go out to Bali in August, as the temperature will be in the mid-30s then.”

For now, Lund has to prepare for the slightly cooler climes of Wales, as he heads to Llanelli this weekend for the first British Triathlon Super Series event of the year.

He explained: “I’ll be targeting a podium again, like the one I got in the Super Series at Eton Dorney last year.

“If I get one in Llanelli, that will qualify me for World Cup events later in the season, when in previous years I’ve only been competing at European level.

“I’m using this as a qualifying method for those World Cup events really, and if I get a good result in Llanelli, I shouldn’t have to do any more of the British Super Series events.”