Don Wins British Triathlon Nationals

World Champion triathlete Tim Don stormed to victory in the Corus Elite Series, at Bryn Bach Park in Wales today. Recently cleared by the BOA for selection for future Olympics, Londoner Don claimed his fourth consecutive National Standard Distance Champion title. Fellow Britain Julie Dibens clinched the title in the women's event.

Beginning with a deep water start for the swim, the men's race was led out by Londoner Stuart Hayes, closely followed by World Student Champion Harry Wiltshire. Don emerged from the swim in third place, with a clean transition onto the bike.

Hayes, Don and South African Hendrik De Villiers formed the leading front pack into the challenging 40km bike leg. Fellow Brits Karl Shaw and Andrew Johns bridged the gap on the sixth lap, to make it an English top four, after De Villiers dropped off.

Heading into the scenic run course, Don forged ahead with Hayes in close contention. Don broke away from his training partner and comfortably raced to victory. Johns, who has been training for Ironman competitions used his endurance and passed Hayes to take second place.

Tim commented on his victory:

'It was an awesome victory. The race was tough with AJ and Stu pushing me all the way - as they always bring out the best in me.'

In the women's swim, Ipswich's Abbie Thorrington led Scotland's Kerry Lang into transition. The second group were made up of eight, including Bath local, Dibens, London triathlon winner Andrea Whitecombe, Loughborough's Vanessa Raw and Cambridge's Rosie Clarke.

Dibens, known for her technical strength on the bike, broke away on the first lap of the tough bike course to stretch to a lead of 30 seconds. Her position was too strong for the chasing pack, which included former Olympic 5000m runner Whitecombe, and Dibens crossed the finish line to take first place.

Julie's comments on the course and the win:

'The bike course was so technical. The corners were tight and fast, which I think made some of the other girls cautious, but was perfect for me. The location was beautiful, a great scenic venue for a triathlon. I'm delighted with the win.'

Men's Elite Race Results

1st - Tim Don (England)
2nd - Andrew Johns (England)
3rd - Stuart Hayes (England)
4th - Karl Shaw (England)
5th - Hendrik DeVilliers (South Africa)

Women's Elite Race Results

1st - Julie Dibens (England)
2nd - Andrea Whitecombe (England)
3rd - Jeanne Collonge (France)
4th - Rosie Clarke (England)
5th - Vanessa Raw (England)

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Contact for interviews: Steph Hudson, Pitch PR, 07825 007 485

Please refer to event as Corus Elite Series.

About British Triathlon
The British Triathlon Federation is the National Governing Body for triathlon, the UK's fastest growing sport. At elite level Great Britain boasts a strong squad of world ranked triathletes and duathletes who regularly achieve international success, and has some outstanding young talent emerging from its youth programmes. Since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, British Triathlon has seen large annual membership increases and now totals over 12,000 members throughout its Home Nation Associations. There are over 500 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year including the London Triathlon, the largest triathlon event in Europe; and the BG Triathlon World Cup race in Salford, one of the leading international events.

About Corus
Corus is Europe's second largest steel producer with revenues of £9.7 billion and crude steel production of 18.3 million tonnes in 2006, primarily in the UK and the Netherlands. Combining international expertise with local customer service, the Corus brand represents quality and strength, providing innovative solutions to the construction, automotive, packaging, mechanical engineering and other markets worldwide. Corus is a subsidiary of Tata Steel, the world's sixth largest and second most global steel producer. With a combined presence in nearly 50 countries, Tata Steel including Corus has 84,000 employees across five continents and a pro forma crude steel production of 27 million tonnes in 2007.