OLLIE Turner’s breakout year has continued in dramatic fashion, after the Islander secured a top-ten finish at a 2023 Europe Triathlon Cup event in Rzeszów, Poland.
The triathlete found himself outside the world’s top 500 approaching the Commonwealth Games last year but, following his latest exploits, he is now up to 162.
He has already had a 2023 to remember, following fruitful trips to South Africa and Namibia, which helped him inside the world’s top 200, but his most ‘gruelling’ race to date has also been the most rewarding.
With Turner’s dad recently turning 60, he mentioned that the perfect birthday present would be a top-ten finish at a European Cup race, and the 24-year-old duly obliged.
He said: ‘It was the most brutal race I have ever been involved in.
‘Usually one of the disciplines feels rather comfortable, but the swim, bike and run were all so gruelling.
‘One of my goals for the year was to grab a top ten at a European Cup event, but the way my calendar was scheduled, the Rzeszów event was the only one I could enter, so it was my sole opportunity to tick that one off the list.
‘Honestly, approaching it, I would have taken a top 20, so during the competition it is very easy to settle for something inside that.
‘There is a constant battle in triathlon, trying to ignore the devil on your shoulder telling you to just ease off.
‘Your body always wants to cave in, but you need that mentality to dig deep when every fibre of you wants to stop.’
With his impressive rise through the ranks of global triathlon, Turner’s humble nature meant he was keen to touch on the fact that he did not possess the talent that some of the Island’s upcoming stars possess.
Hard work and dedication to his craft, when at times the results would not show, has led him to this point and he believes there is no reason why other local stars cannot carve their own path on the big stage.
He said: ‘I was never the most talented triathlete growing up.
‘For me it was a lot of hard work and grit to get to where I am.
‘I am just a Jersey boy, who grew up on a small Island with a dream to make a splash in my sport.
‘Looking now at the talent within triathlon in Jersey, with the right nurture and development, I think that they could develop and exceed expectations.
‘Siena Stephens and Luke Holmes have both recently been selected for the Youth Commonwealth Games.
‘They are both hugely talented athletes and I think with the right training and development, they could be Jersey’s next stars on the global stage.
‘That’s what I want to do while I’m out competing, is to lay the benchmark for those to come in the future.
‘For me, Daniel Halksworth was that person, and striving to beat his records laid before me was a big driver to my ambitions.
‘If I can be that person for the likes of Siena and Luke moving forward, that would be brilliant.
‘We should have a desire to want to put Jersey on the map for our sport.
‘I may represent Great Britain, but I’m a Jersey boy at heart and, when I race, I race for Jersey.’
