City of Bath College worker Nicole Walters will be racing her way onto the international stage as the guide of a Great Britain Para-Triathlete.
The Student Engagement Officer at the has the crucial leadership role of guiding visually impaired athlete Melissa Reid in next week’s World Para-Triathlon Championships.
Nicole and Melissa, who is the British and European Para-Tri champion, will be swimming, cycling and running in succession in the gruelling competition in Hyde Park, London, on Friday, September 13th.
Nicole, who joined the College’s Student Participation Team in July, said she was hoping to guide Melissa all the way to the podium.
She said: “It is a team effort but I’m so proud of Melissa as I know how far she has had to come to be able to compete.
“She never lets her disability get in the way and has to place all her trust in me so it is very, very rewarding to be by her side.”
The duo are hoping to continue their winning streak as in just eight months of working together they have already secured two gold medals.
They won a gold medal in the European Championships in Turkey in June, then the following month they secured another gold at the British Championships in Liverpool.
Nicole said: “It’s not long until the big day so it’s a very exciting time for us both.
“I’ve done all the training I can so the final countdown is just going to be about resting up and making sure I’m 100 per cent ready.”
They complete a 750m open-water swim, 20km bike ride and a 5km run in around the one hour 10 minutes mark. The pair are tethered ankle-to-ankle when swimming, ride together on a tandem bike and are tethered around the waist during the run.
Nicole said: “Without a guide Melissa couldn’t go as fast as she’d like to.
“When we are running I’m constantly talking to her to tell her what is ahead. I tell her when she needs to turn a corner or has to lift her feet up to avoid an obstacle.”
It is hoped that further barriers between Para and able-bodied elite triathlon athletes will be broken down as it has recently been announced that Para-Triathlon will be included in the Paralympics for the first time in 2016.
Nicole said: “There’s a real buzz about as it’s the newest Paralympic sport, everyone is talking about it.
“It would be absolutely amazing to compete in the Paralympics. I know it is Melissa’s ultimate goal to qualify so it would be a real honour to be by her side. I hope we are still working together in three years’ time.”
Nicole trains as part of the Team Bath Squad for 15 hours a week with at least one session a day in the morning or evening. She also continues to compete on her own in triathlons across the UK.
Nicole said: “I tend to spend more time swimming and biking than running. I have been fairly unlucky with running injuries in the past so I have to be clever with my run training, do enough to run fast but not too much that I get injured.
“I really like training as I get to spend so much time outside. I love the challenge of doing well and pushing myself to do better.”
Nicole has always been “all about sport” as she grew up playing every sport she could. As a teenager she was a keen swimmer and played squash at national level.
She discovered triathlons when she started studying Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Bath six years ago and admits she is now “totally hooked.” The triathlon club was the first club she joined at the Freshers’ Fair and it wasn’t long before she was representing the university in competitions.
Nicole, who is also a member of the Bath Amphibian Triathlon Club, said: “Triathlons are always something I wanted to do but never really had an opportunity to get involved until university.
“It’s ideal because I get to compete in three sports at the same time. I’m very competitive and I love winning.”