Hope wins his seventh GB call-up after overcoming choppy waters in Barry Island

Hope competed in the Barry Island triathlon in South Wales at the weekend, a big national event that doubled as one of the 3 qualifying races for the GB age group team

Hope finished 3rd in his age group to take one of the 4 places on offer from this race to earn his latest international call-up.

The choppy sea had a heavy tidal flow, making heading out to the first buoy a difficult task, with the tide constantly taking swimmers off course, and the 750-metre swim became 1,100 metres for most.

The World Sprint Triathlon Championships are draft-legal (where cyclists are permitted to ride closely behind each other to reduce wind resistance), so it makes sense for the qualifiers to be likewise and Barry Island was chosen because of the closed roads which allowed for cyclists to ride together if they found themselves in a decent group, and work together on the bike.

Even so, many cyclists were seen riding solo or in twos after the swim naturally segregated them. Hope gained one place on the 3.5 mile, 2-lap flat run to be sure of his place.