Flying the flag for gb

By Rob Virtue on September 11, 2007 12:00 AM

HE MAY be over 50 years old and have a dodgy knee, but triathlete Clive Weston just keeps getting better and better.
While many begin to take it easy as they get older, Clive hasn't.
The finance director, from St David's Square on the Isle of Dogs, picked up a silver medal in the World Championships at Hamburg earlier this month - despite picking up a flat tyre in the cycling leg.

It marked the latest point in an amazing career in the swimming, running and cycling event, which he started in 1992 just to keep fit.
"Triathlon was just a new, fun sport to do when I took it up," said Clive. "But incredibly, year after year, I got that little bit faster."
He started to win medals at the National Championships for his age group and was soon representing his country. "Now, at 50, I'm one of the best in the world, flying the flag for GB," he said.
A member of the Greenwich Tritons team, Clive was overjoyed to come second in the 50-54 age group in Germany on September 2.
But his triathlon career nearly ended in 2000 when he suffered a knee injury.
At first, doctors thought it would just need a simple operation to correct, but they later realised it was more serious and Clive's knee cartilage had to be completely smoothed down.
"The doctors said I shouldn't run again," he said. "So I spent two or three years doing relays, which meant I would do the swimming and cycling and a friend would do the running.
"But one day the friend never turned up, so I gave it a go, taking it quite easy, and didn't have a problem."
While most athlete's performances deteriorate as they get older, Clive has gone from strength to strength, on average knocking a minute off his time each year.
He said the key to his growing success in the event has been experience.
"You figure out where the best time gains are made," he said. "It took me a while to realise I could take more time off by focusing on the bike rather than running."
Clive says he wants to cut a minute off all three events before next year's championships in Vancouver, Canada, where he is going for gold.
He hopes his performance will motivate the older generations, but also urges youngsters to get involved in the sport, especially at his Greenwich club where they run the Aquathon - a swim and run event for children and teenagers.
"Triathlon is a great sport for anyone at any age to get involved in. There are many friendly, locally run events if you want a taster before tackling an event like the London Triathlon," he said.
Go to www.greenwichtritons.org.uk for information.
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