Teenager Libby rubs shoulders with some of world's best triathletes

The inaugural British Triathlon Mixed Relay Cup, sponsored by Accenture, attracted a sell-out crowd of more than 15,000 spectators at Nottingham’s Victoria Embankment.

And 16-year-old Libby, who has enjoyed a superb season, was part of the Team Nottinghham squad, who acquitted themselves well, finishing in 14th position.

The event was hit by the late withdrawal of Jonny Brownlee and the absence, after hip surgery, of his brother, double Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee. But a total of 68 elite triathletes, including Olympians, still lined up as part of 17 teams of four, made up of two men and two women. Each athlete completed a mini-triathlon, which comprised a 7.5km bike ride and 1.5km run around the Embankment and over Trent Bridge and then a 300m swim in the River Trent before tagging their teammates to do the same. It was fast and furious stuff, with no margin for error.

The winners were Team Leeds 1 in a time of one hour, 18.59 minutes. Less than a minute behind in second were Team Loughborough, who were followed by Team Cabnada, one of four international squads, Team Leeds 2 and Team Japan. The time for the Nottingham team was one hour, 24.41 minutes.

Libby, who found the whole experience exhilarating, was chosen after impressiing British triathlon coaches with her performances during the current campaign. She is ranked first in the British Tri Super Series after storming to gold in all her races. During the summer, she also added an international silver medal to her mantelpiece when her team finished second in the European U23 Club Relay Championships in Spain.

Taking place alongside Saturday’s event was the City Of Nottingham Triathlon, which gave ordinary club athletes a taste of what the sport is all about. The city received huge praise for the success of the whole event.