Jubilant double gold for Guernsey in women's triathlon

Sunday 09 July 2023

Megan Chapple crossed the finish line holding the Guernsey flag above her head, securing the gold medal that had looked like a certainty since the bike leg of the triathlon.

By the time her teammates had crossed the line Guernsey knew they had also bagged the team gold, with Amy Critchlow ecstatic after taking an individual bronze having run the podium so close in previous Island Games.

Jersey’s Kim Garrett took bronze for a Channel Islands sweep of the individual podium after some hard racing over a spectator friendly course.

Guernsey Gold!! Megan Chapple takes the win in the women’s triathlon with a huge gap. @Guernsey_2023 pic.twitter.com/GYeNZZVnrr

— Bailiwick Express Guernsey (@BailiwickGsy) July 9, 2023

Chapple executed her race with customary calm. 

While she trailed the lead pack on the swim, she knew that gap was within her capabilities and when she passed Critchlow for the lead soon after transition on the first bike loop, she was untouchable.

Spectators lined the sea walls at Rocquaine, creating a fervent atmosphere with the volume turned up every time a Guernsey triathlete passed.

Chapple summed up her feelings crossing the lines with one, strong word: “ecstatic”.

Pictured: Megan Chapple came out the swim with work to do on the bike leg. 

She came out of the water some  two minutes down on the leader Critchlow.

“I've got a strong bike so I was confident that I could catch them. But I knew the Jersey girl was strong on the bike and Amy's so strong at the moment, so it wasn’t going to  be a breeze,” said Chapple.

She described the feeling of floating because of the strength of the crowd support.

“They were cheering on all the other islands as well. There was a paramedic on one of the corners and she was absolutely losing her voice shouting for everyone. It was so lovely to see.” 

It was the first time Garrett had experienced a swim start that began by running into the water and coming out that leg half way down the field she was content to wait for her strength to show on the bike to work her way through .

She recorded the quickest bike split by 13 seconds over Chapple, but had already shipped more than two minutes in the water and conceded a similar margin on the run.

There was a little pressure going into the run leg.

“You don't know how your legs are going to go,” she said.

 “I knew first place was gone, barring a mishap and you never want an athlete ahead of you to have a mishap. But after the first lap of the course I kind of knew. I've got second. I just had  to maintain the pace.”

The bike route included three climbs of the L’Eree hill, something that worked to her background on the bike.

“It was a really sporting course, a bit of everything, climbs, fast, flat, and technical to boot. It's probably pushed all the triathletes for sure.”

Coming into the Games, she said it would be her last event.

“I've been doing it for 20 years now, but I guess I should learn never to say never. So I don't know. We'll see. I think we'll keep an open door on lots of things and see where it goes from there.”

Jersey took silver in the team event, Garrett joined by Claire Forbes and Sam Lee.

Shetland won the team bronze.

Pictured: Guernsey's winning team Chloe Truffitt, Emily Squire, Megan Chapple and Amy Critchlow. 

Critchlow’s Games hopes were in the balance when exactly a year ago she had an accident on her bike and broke a collarbone.

“Today for me was all about getting a good position for the team medal and I never expected to get an individual medal. I can't quite believe it. It's amazing.”

She finished fifth in Gotland and fourth in Gibraltar.

“I'm just trying to soak it all up. I think the crowd got me through that final lap of the run. My legs, my quads, were cramping.”

As she crossed the finish line she had to ask the official where she had finished.

With the confirmation came a huge celebration.

Pictured: Amy Critchlow led out of the water. 

Guernsey’s team gold was secured with Chloe Truffitt finishing fourth, while Emily Squire crossed in seventh.

Squire benefited from a relaxed approach to the race.

“I just decided, “I'm lucky to be here, just enjoy it,” she said, adding that the crowd support was so intense it was easy to forget what you were doing.

“I'm so delighted. I just wanted to finish and just enjoy it. And I did.”