Sian Rainsley

She has really pushed on over the past two seasons, taking advantage of many of the big names being involved in Super League action to finish fifth in Hamburg last summer and has barely had a bad race since. This season she has improved with every outing, finishing 16th in Yokohama, 15th in Leeds and then eighth in Hamburg, following it with relay victory as part of a young British quartet including Super League starter Kate Waugh. Rainsley’s rise through the ranks was rewarded with selection for the England team for this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she finished 12th in the individual race. That it was a disappointment to her, shows just how far her performances have come.

Remarkably, the Leeds-based triathlete has continued to perform at world class level despite being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of 18. Crohn’s is an autoimmune condition that leaves many sufferers struggling to exercise, let alone reach elite status, and after falling ill at her first Team GB training camp, Rainsley was told it would signal the end of her elite career.

Determined to prove the doubters wrong, she has gone from strength to strength since, working with doctors, dieticians and coaches to refine her approach to medication, diet and exercise.

“When it comes to training and racing, I have to focus on the same things as every elite athlete, just some are more important and need to be adapted for my training,” she says.