Young Thierry ahead of his time
LONG gone are the days that triathlete Thierry Le Cheminant saw running as his weakest discipline.
The 16-year-old yesterday underlined his improvement by becoming Guernsey’s first male Short Course Cross-Country champion, not long after Nix Petit had dominated the separate women’s race at a windy Delancey Park.
Both races adopted a sharp two-lap, 4km format to emulate international ‘short course’ tradition and ran in reverse to the usual FNB Cross-Country League loop.
Although Le Cheminant had earned several top-three spots in longer cross-country races, his 19sec. victory will go down as indisputably his strongest running performance yet.
He needed just one kilometre to gap the field, with four UK-based athletes – Boxing Day Cross-Country winner Dan Galpin and brother Sammy Galpin, plus Sam Lesley and Richard Thorburn – already clear of the rest.
Le Cheminant hit the lap point nearly 15sec. clear and simply did not falter.
But as the winner crossed the line in 14min. 12sec., emerging 800m specialist Thorburn was throwing down the gauntlet in a four-way battle for second.
Thorburn surged home in 14-31 as Dan and Sammy Galpin, then Sam Lesley, followed within the next 8sec.
This Guernsey title was a notable first for Le Cheminant, who until recently would often fade and lose positions during the run leg in triathlons.
‘I’m really happy – running used to be my weakest discipline and now it’s probably my best, especially cross-country, pulling away from the top guys,’ he said.
‘I think the short, sharp stuff suits me more than the longer races. 4k to 6k [suits me] and nearer 10k seems to be on the edge.
‘I thought it was going to be muddier with all the rain we’ve had, but the course was actually quite dry.’
Though Petit had unpleasant rain to deal with en route, she had no lasting rivals in a small field of 14.
The middle-distance runner had already broken clear within the first 200m, pulling away steadily to win in 17-01.
Teenager Lottie Smith ran a steady race for second in 18-46 as Penny Freeman completed the podium another 24sec. back.
‘I loved the event – it’s a fantastic course and a great mix of hills, mud and rain,’ Petit said.
‘Perfect distance to test all abilities and opportunity for young athletes to be competitive for the top spots.
'I had a fast start and managed to maintain a decent pace, even when the rain started.'
