Russell White achieved a career-best performance on Sunday (September 2nd) by claiming a silver medal at the ITU World Cup race at Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic.

As well as being the standout result in White’s career thus far, it also equals the best ever finish by an Irish athlete in a World Cup triathlon and makes White just the third Irish athlete after Aileen Reid and Bryan Keane to stand on a World Cup podium.

White was strong throughout the Standard (Olympic) distance race which is notorious as one of the toughest on the world circuit. He emerged 5th out of the water from the 1,500m swim and biked at the front on a hilly and technical course before executing a blistering 29min 43sec 10km run to finish just 14seconds behind the winner – Russia’s Dmitry Polyanskiy.

Speaking after the race, White was clearly delighted with his efforts:

“I am buzzing to have finally made my first World Cup podium finishing second today at Karlovy Vary.  I have had a massive racing block with eight races in seven weeks but I am so glad that I have managed to get better with every race.”

“I’ve had an up and down season this year with being in very good shape for Commonwealth Games, not using that fitness and then getting sick shortly after. It has been hard to turn it around but I can’t believe that I have not only turned it around but managed achieved a career-best result today.”

White acknowledged that the result will have a huge effect on his Olympic qualifying and World Triathlon points and on his state of mind heading into the World Triathlon Grand Final in Australia:

“I now turn my focus to the Grand final in Gold Coast in two weeks and then round of the season with three further World cups next month. Thank you for all the support from home and it is great to get the Irish trisuit back up onto a World Cup podium,” White concluded.