YOU will not see Bryn Davies competing against the Brownlee brothers any time soon, but the Greenmount teenager is on the brink of becoming a triathlon world champion.

The 18-year-old UCLAN student has qualified for the Xterra world cross triathlon championships – a more extreme version of the Olympic sport, which involves mountain bike riding and fell running.

Davies finished runner-up in his debut Xterra European series earlier this year, when he narrowly missed out on overall gold in the under-20s age group after crashing out of the German leg of the competition.

He was in pole position for the title after winning in France and finishing second and third in the Czech Republic and Switzerland, respectively.

Despite missing out on points in Germany and being forced to sit out the English leg of the series with a rib injury, the former Woodhey High School and Bury College pupil had already done enough to earn silver.

After recovering from his fall, Davies is now confident he can make his mark on the world scene at the championships in Maui, Hawaii, at the end of this month (October 28).

“Looking at the other competitors that have qualified, our best times are all pretty similar, five minutes either side of my own, so I don’t think there will be much in it,” he said.

“The course is pretty flat, so that will maybe suit the power merchants, while I am more of a climber – stamina is my strong point – but I am confident I can put up a good show and get myself in the medals.”

The distances of cross triathlon events depend on the severity of the course, but the average race tends to include a 1,500m open water swim, a 40k mountain bike ride and a 10k run, either on fells or forest trails.

Davies is the current British champion in his age group, having won the national under-18s title for the past two years.

The former Old Hall Primary School pupil showed signs he was capable of making the step up to senior competition earlier this season when he won the junior and overall titles at the Durty cross triathlon in Scotland – one of the most demanding races on the circuit.

“That gave me real confidence because I had done the race for the past three years and never managed to complete it,” said Davies.

It marked a steady progression on the youngster’s march to the top, which started when he was just 10 years old.

Davies’ talent was spotted early on by his primary school cross country coach, who recommended he joined Bury Athletic Club. He was also a member of Ramsbottom Swimming Club and a keen mountain biker.

“It was a friend of my dad’s who said I should give triathlon a go,” he added.

“I think I was about 10 when I took part in my first race in Lancaster. I didn’t finish in a good position or anything but I absolutely loved it.

“After that I joined Bolton Tri Club and it just went from there.

“I started competing in the North West Youth Triathlon series and did really well.

“I won my first race when I was 11 or 12 and went on to win the series four years on the run.

“But I always preferred mountain biking to road cycling – I like the adrenalin rush. And after winning my first cross triathlon I knew there was nothing else I wanted to do.”

Davies’ efforts saw him pick up the Bury Metro sports achiever award recently, following a nomination from swimming coach Rick Wesolowski.

“I never knew anything about the nomination, so it was really unexpected,” he said.

“I owe so much to Rick as he has been there from the start and I couldn’t have done any of this without his help, and the help of so many other people along the way.”

Davies is sponsored by Leisure Lakes Bikes of Bury, but is looking for further help to support his ambition to become a full-time professional triathlete. If you would like to help, email him on bryndavies96@gmail.com.

For more information on Leisure Lakes Bikes visit www.leisurelakesbikes.com