Top five finishes for County Derry twins in Europe Triathlon Para Championships

County Derry para-triathletes Judith and Chloe MacCombe competed in the Europe Triathlon Para Championships in Besancon.

The Claudy twins were part of a team of five athletes who travelled to Wels for the Europe Triathlon Cup representing Team Ireland.

Judith MacCombe guided by Eimear Nicholls continued their strong form in a highly competitive field with another bronze medal, building on their podium finish in Taranto just a week earlier.

The duo produced a time of 01:12:40, rounding out the podium alongside two-time Paralympic Champion and winner of the race, Susana Rodriguez and runner-up Paralympian Francesca Tarantello.

Judith and Eimear exited the water in fifth position, and headed to the bike course to produce a standout performance, quickly closing the gap and clocking the fastest bike of the race.

The pair also produced the fastest run of the day to claim their first championship medal. Nicholls shared, “We came onto the run in fourth place, the Germans were right in front of us – and Judith really pushed as hard as she could to catch them.”

Reflecting on the race in the high temperatures of France, Judith shared, “We went out hard, I think that was just the plan, go out and push as hard as we can the whole way through… hard swim, hard bike, hard run.”

The Irish pair executed pre-race cooling strategies to manage the conditions. “The temperature doesn’t really suit us coming from Ireland,” Nicholls noted; “but we coped with it really well and we’re really pleased with the way the race went.”

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Chloe MacCombe and guide Aisling Wyer made their debut as a pairing to finish in fifth place. A strong start to their para triathlon journey together, finishing the race in fifth with a time of 01:15:04, behind Paralympic bronze medallist Anja Renner. MacCombe and Wyer produced a strong bike performance and continued their consistent form through the run to secure their position. The performance marks a promising start to their journey.

Chloe spoke on the new partnership, sharing: “It was good, solid racing throughout all three. It was Aisling’s first time guiding, a really good experience for us. Looking forward to the next race together – this is just the beginning.”

Aisling reflected on her new role as a guide, sharing: “This was a fantastic opportunity, I just went for it, and we had a lot of fun. It was a lot more challenging than I anticipated – the route itself was quite hilly and there were a couple of technical bends”, but added “I got a little bit more confidence on lap two.”