Daniel Dixon

Having started triathlon aged nine, perhaps it should be no surprise that Dixon has already made an impressive start to his professional career. He hasn’t had to look far for inspiration. His father is also a keen triathlete and qualified and raced at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. A three-time British youth triathlon champion, and two-time Super League youth triathlon champion, he is also one of a handful of athletes to have won a junior European Cup race at the age of just 16.

Last year, he added both the British Triathlon junior and senior elite titles over the sprint distance and backed it up with a further European Cup junior win in Hungary against a bumper 83-strong field.

Dixon’s potential has been recognised in the past 18 months as he received the Sir John Hanson Scholarship, providing funding and support to young athletes seeking to represent Team England.

That dream was fulfilled when just turned 20, he was called up to this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham to replace the injured Jonny Brownlee. With a remit to support Alex Yee’s quest for gold, Dixon more than justified his selection and then put down a swift 5km to finish in a creditable 12th place.

Still in his first year stepping up to senior racing, Dixon is now excited about his Super League Triathlon Championship Series debut. He’s already taken part in the Arena Games where he finished an eye catching fourth in Singapore behind the established Hayden Wilde, Alex Yee and Justus Nieschlag. Racing elsewhere has also gone to plan with podiums in Poland, USA and Portugal this season under his belt.

Dixon isn’t afraid to take himself outside of his comfort zone off the racecourse either. Earlier this year he set off for an extended training camp in the USA under coach Ryan Bolton, including training at altitude in New Mexico before heading to Tucson, Arizona. It made for a mix of weather conditions, training and racing experiences, including the Tucson ‘Shootout’, where 200 keen cyclists would roll out from a local Starbucks at 7.30am on a Saturday to really put the hammer down.