Liz Blatchford Fighting For Olympic Spot

Great Britain’s Liz Blatchford chats with Triathleteeurope.com about her Olympic dream.

Liz Blatchford is one of Britain’s fastest female short course triathletes and like so many girls is fighting for a spot on the British Olympic squad. The 31-year-old has been racing since she was 13 and has grown up with the sport. She has since gone on to win two ITU World Cup events and remains consistently up there. Despite suffering from a hip problem Blatchford has a had a pretty consistent year with three top 10 finishes on the ITU WCS (World Championship Series) circuit, and several podiums including second place finishes at the Virgin London Triathlon and the St. Anthony’s 5150 event. Blatchford was born in Manchester but moved to Perth, Australia when she was two. It was here she discovered swimming and athletics. The two provided the ideal foundation for triathlon and Blatchford soon realised she had a talent for this multisport malarky. We caught up with the ever smiling Blatchford to find out more…

What sports did you do growing up?
Living in Australia I got into surf lifesaving which is huge over there. I grew up with that, some athletics and cross country running.

When did triathlon come on the scene?
I did my first one pretty young, around 13 or 14, in a swimming pool and then rode round and round a velodrome, but I was hooked. Following this I started doing better in triathlon than I was in my surf lifesaving and athletics, and it grew from there.

Tell us about your best results over the years?
I’m proud of my two ITU World Cup wins. I won in Salford, Manchester and knowing I’m originally from there made it feel even more special. I also won another World Cup in Japan. I’m also proud of going to the Commonwealth Games in 2006.

Read more: Triathleteeurope.com