MARLBOROUGH teenager Elliot Lassiter made a great start to international competition when he finished third in the Duathlon World Championships.

Lassiter, 17, from Lockeridge, achieved a podium finish in the 16-19 male AG sprint category, which was held in Aviles, Spain, in a time of 1:02:30.

The youngster said: “I am very happy with the result. It was my first international competition.

“It’s encouraging for the rest of the season. I have a lot to look forward to.

“My wave had over 100 people in. I learned a lot about travelling, competing abroad, and keeping calm.”

The race was made up of a run, cycle and another run and it wasn’t all plain sailing for the MADJA member.

Like most teenagers his age, the Dauntsey’s School pupil has also had to worry about his up and coming AS Level exams.

“I have got exams. I was revising at the airport and on the plane. Any time I had, I was revising,’’ added Lassiter.

"I had to not train as much to get my work done but also make sure I have been enough for competition.”

He completed a podium sweep for Great Britain, with fellow Britons Cameron Richardson and Harrison Smith completing the trio.

Just a minute-and-a-half separated Lassiter from first place, and reflecting on the race, he believes that with experience, he would be able to make up the time.

He said: “I lost a lot of time in the third transition because I panicked.

“If I did it again, I could have done better and closed the time gap.”

Lassiter’s parents Kim and Lucy travelled with him to Spain.

“My parents are proud. They help me get to training and get my work done,” he added.

The teenager gets back into racing in a fortnight when he prepares for a qualifying event for the Junior Triathlon European Cup.