Gritty effort by Chris Lewis in European Triathlon Championships
Former Normanton Knights rugby league centre turned athlete Chris Lewis gave a strong performance when he represented Great Britain in the 2021 European Standard Distance Triathlon Championships held in Valencia.
Lewis, who was born in Pontefract, had to overcome adversity to finish the event and showed his resilience as well as talent in finishing well up the international field of triathletes.
Chris lost vital minutes when he was knocked completely off his bike in a crash in the cycling section of the event and the incident saw another contestant land on top of him.
But he not only picked himself up, he showed his determination and grit to keep his composure, straighten out his handle bars, shrug off his injuries and finish the cycle ride before going on to finish in 11th position at the end of the distance run that followed.
Lewis’s next outing in Team GB colours will be when he travels to Aviles, in Northern Spain, in November to compete in the 2021 World Duathlon Championships.
Chris initially looked to have a career in rugby league after starting out with Normanton Knights aged just seven. He progressed to play professionally with Dewsbury, Doncaster and Wakefield Trinity before injury cut short his time in the sport at the age of just 22.
Three ruptured ACLs and two reconstructions later, he was forced to quit, but at the age of 33 he took part in his first triathlon and success has followed in the new sport he loves.