Adlard shines in Monaco

THE clear blue waters of the Monaco peninsula are usually reserved for the rich and famous as they strut their stuff on their over-sized yachts in a war of one-upmanship.

It is certainly not somewhere you would expect to see a 12-year-old boy from East Yorkshire swimming in these very same waters.

But Mike Adlard made the trip to the principality to represent Great Britain at a World Championship in a sport that is slowly growing in popularity across the globe.

The sport of biathle sees competitors take part in a continuous run-swim-run event where the athletes have to go through a transition to take shoes off, put goggles on and then the reverse coming out of the water.

While the adult race, which was won by Kingston athlete Gregan Clarkson a few years ago, is much longer in length, Adlard was competing in a sprint biathle with an overall run of 1,000m and a 50m swim in open water.

Adlard qualified for Monaco after taking silver at the National Championships at the docks in Salford, while he has also made the National Championships in biathlon - which is a run of 1,000m and a swim of 50m where competitors get a break in between and get points for their performances.

The Biathle World Championships is a relatively new event and is predominately participated in by European countries plus athletes from South Africa.

Adlard, who runs for Kingston upon Hull Athletic Club and swims for South Hunsley Swimming Club, was given the chance to practice swimming in the clear water when the GB squad arrived, before having a pasta party the night before the race.

With perfect racing conditions, Adlard held his own with a strong swim and a great transition back into the running element and despite a strong contingent of South Africans and talented rivals from France, Germany, Spain, Hungary and Italy, he came home a superb seventh spot overall in the world.