Wick triathlete stars Down Under
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A WICK businessman achieved major success when he finished among the top ten in the world for his age group at the World Triathlon Championships in New Zealand.
David Sutherland (56) claimed a respectable ninth in the 55 to 59 age group at the annual competition held in Auckland on Saturday when he competed in a field of 60 athletes from across the globe.
The race which involves swimming, cycling and running saw Sutherland finish in a time of 1 hour17 minutes 32 seconds, seven minutes behind eventual winner, Australian Kevin Goodwin who finished in a time of 1:10:45.
John Hill, from the Norfolk Islands, came second with a time of 1:13:09 and New New Zealander Ian Christensen was third in 1:14:17.
During the race Sutherland got off to a great start, finishing the swim section in sixth place with a time of 12:51 but fell off the pace during the cycle, in which he clocked the 17th fastest time of 36:04. In the final run, he clawed his way back up the rankings with a time of 21:27 to finish ninth overall.
Out of a 13 strong British team in his age section, Sutherland was the second fastest British triathlete, only one place behind Alistair Asher who finished seven seconds ahead with a time of 1:17:25 to claim eighth.
Sutherland, a member of the Wick Triathlon Club, has been one of the top triathletes in the world for his age group in recent years.
Earlier this year, he competed at the ETU Triathlon European Championships in Eilat, Israel when he came seventh in a time of 1:19:37, 11 minutes behind Birger Fredriksen who clamied the European crown for the 55 to 59 age group for the second year in a row.
Sutherland, managing director with wholsesale grocers Sutherland Brothers, improved on his performance from the World championships in Beijing last year when he finished 13th in a time of 1:21:15.
