Jersey Tri test should be a strong ‘Gib’ indicator

She will compete as one of a contingent of Sarnians over at the Jersey Triathlon, with the young and still-learning competitor having recently made an impression at the World Triathlon Leeds.

There, she added an age-group silver to an 11th-place overall finish and soaked in one of the grandest race atmospheres she has experienced so far.

‘It was a good race for us all really – I couldn’t have asked for a better race if I’m honest,’ said Chapple.

‘Probably had one of the best swims I’ve ever had and it all just panned out pretty well. We didn’t really get much of a recce of the bike course, so it was a case of just going with the flow.

‘The finish was right in the city centre of Leeds and it’s right where the pros also finish, so there was a lot of people around.

‘Just being in the general atmosphere of it was pretty cool.’

Chapple and her Guernsey teammates have enjoyed a couple of local duathlons in the build-up and the 22-year-old has so far been twice victorious.

After winning a great three-way battle with Games teammates Emily Squire and Chantal Green at Pembroke, she took it up a notch more recently by scalping the experienced Amy Critchlow at Grandes Rocques.

Having elevated her position within the Guernsey standings, how will she fare against the Gotland gold-medalists?

This is something that Chapple will find out tomorrow in a ‘whistle-stop tour’ of Jersey.

‘I don’t think Amy or Emily are going to race, but Chantal and I are, which is going to be good,’ she said.

‘This will be the first place to see where the Jersey girls are at in comparison to how well we’re racing at the moment. It will be interesting – I feel like the pressure’s on.’

Chapple will also be racing against herself in a sport that she admits can be highly unpredictable.

But having perhaps made her greatest jumps in swimming, now thoroughly enjoying what has been her weakest discipline, she is on a promising rise.

‘Leeds was definitely my best performance yet, and I hope that Jersey will meet that standard as well, and if it does then I’ll be feeling comfortable and happy with how things will go in Gibraltar,’ she added.

‘But you never know on race day – there’s always something that goes wrong on race day because there’s so many parts to it.’

Two more local events – a triathlon and a duathlon – will help keep her ticking over for the big test that awaits.

So what about Gibraltar?

The course will thankfully not take in the full dizzying heights of ‘The Rock’, but that’s not to say it will be easy or flat.

Chapple has witnessed first-hand the improvement of her training group, with the three debutants flourishing under the mentorship of the returning Critchlow.

‘It’s still nice to see that I’m making improvements in my performance, and I think we’ve all come so far, even since Rocquaine [the qualifying race],’ said Chapple.

‘We’ve all improved so much and it’s nice to see. I think Jersey this weekend will determine what’s possible, or potentially possible.’

The speedwork and race practice honed in recent months will hopefully put her, and the rest of the women’s team, in good stead to match or improve their silver in Gotland.

Critchlow is still the main individual medal prospect and will be looking to challenge her previous fifth-place finish in a race headed by Jersey veteran Jo Gorrod.

There will be a very similar tone in what is shaping up to be an exciting men’s race.

Once again, Guernsey took second best in 2017 behind Jersey.

Team leader Josh Lewis has improved dramatically since placing eighth back then and can see his place on the podium, both individually and in the team event.

‘There’s going to be some stiff opposition but I think if I perform to my potential then there’s a definite podium place and, hopefully, the top step,’ said Lewis.

Defending champion Daniel Halksworth is not returning but Ollie Turner very much will be, and training ally Lewis has witnessed the Jersey youngster’s improvements on a regular basis.

‘In terms of the team, there’s definitely strength-in-depth and we can definitely have a chance for the gold or silver – trying to improve on last year’s silver,’ he added.

‘There are definitely some classy athletes, which we can use to our benefit. Hopefully if we can all get in the top 10, we stand a really good chance of winning overall.’