Don adds might to Britain's triathlon team

Gold Coast (Australia): Talk of a clean sweep for Britain in the men's Olympic triathlon may be more than a touch ambitious, but there is no doubt that all three contenders have a real medal chance.

While four times world champion Simon Lessing and last year's overall World Cup winner Andrew Johns may be the top-ranked pair, Tim Don "the third man" is by no means competing merely to watch and learn.

Should the 22-year-old son of English premier league referees' supervisor Philip Don manage a place on the podium, he could be excused if he felt that his success was something for Britain to really celebrate.

While Don, who shot to prominence when he won the World Junior Championship in 1998, is every inch British, the red white and blue colours sit a little less comfortably on his talented teammates.

Lessing was born in Cape Town and although he has competed with distinction for Britain since 1989 he only actually started living in the country four months ago. He had preferred life in the south of France after leaving South Africa 11 years ago.

Johns was born in England but moved to Australia as a child. Frustration at his failure to break into the elite of the sport in Australia led him to switch allegiance to Britain four years ago.

Since then he has been on the fast track to success and his World Cup success last year, plus a fourth in the world championships and a second over the Olympic course in Sydney marks him down as equally as strong a prospect as Lessing.

Don was the last to make the team, clinching his spot with sixth place in the European championships in July, but his coach of eight years Graham Fletcher says he is in the form of his life and peaking to perfection.

"I said to Tim when I started working with him as a 14-year-old that we should target the Olympics even though triathlon's inclusion was still only being talked about," he said on Saturday.

Real chance

"He's been improving steadily but he is now right where I want him to be and if he is up there off the bike he has a real chance."

Don was concentrating on his swimming on Saturday at a lake 10 km inland from the British camp on the Gold Coast.

"I like this place because it's freshwater and you're safe from sharks, crocodiles and other nasties in the sea," he said. "It's only eels to worry about in here."

But the venue was a long way from the "Sunshine State" brochures as cold winds whipped the surface into something more reminiscent of the English Channel.

Don ventured in only after pulling on a wetsuit but said it was all good training for Sydney, where sea breezes are expected to make the harbour course similarly rough for the 1,500 metres opening leg of the event.

Lessing has been training independently but Johns and Don, great friends who room together, will work with each other in the build-up to the race on September 17, second day of the Games.

Success for any of them should give the sport a boost in Britain but Fletcher warned that the opportunity could well fall on stony ground. "I'm continually astonished that there are so few junior sections in British triathlon clubs," he said.

"A few years ago Tim was only about the sixth best junior in Britain but most of those ahead of him have been lost to the sport.

"There is a real danger that people will see our athletes, get inspired but find the local clubs can't accommodate them and then they will go to other sports."I really hope that doesn't happen."

(c) Reuters Limited.