PETER Cusick is hoping to blaze a trail right into next year’s World Duathlon Championships – three years on from the accident that curtailed his Ironman World Championship bid.

The 49-year-old, who wears the colours of Chippenham Tri Club, a subsidiary of Chippenham Harriers and Chippenham Wheelers, jetted off to Kaliua-Kona, Hawaii, in 2011 to compete in the gruelling triathlon event – but broke both his arms after being knocked off his bike by a car in the lead-up to the race.

Since getting back in the saddle, Cusick has hung up his wetsuit and opted to focus on the running and cycling disciplines in the duathlon.

And he tasted national glory last Sunday as he earned a silver medal in the 45-49 category at the British Age Group Championships at Emberton Country Park, near Milton Keynes, completing a 10k run, 25-mile cycle and additional 5k run in 2:00:46.

“I qualified for the Kona Ironman back in 2011 and in the week before the race, I was out trying out my bike to check it was all okay when a driver knocked me over,” said Cusick, who works as a partner at Thrings Solicitors.

“I broke both my arms and was out for quite a while. When I came back, I eventually fell out of swimming and to be honest, I was never the strongest swimmer anyway.

“Duathlon is a much harder sport than triathlon, if you think that in triathlon, you have a swim that could take you just seven minutes whilst doing a two runs is much more difficult.

“I’d competed in the British Championships last year and finished fifth, so I wanted to try and get a medal this time.

“I was really happy with my splits and coming second.”

Cusick added: “I want to go for the World Championships next year - they’re in Adelaide.

“I’ll be in the 50-54 age group and hopefully I could be successful at that level.”

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