We're extremely proud to introduce our newest Kinesio UK Ambassador, World Champion duathlete Claire Steels.
Keen runner and personal trainer Claire, who works at Premier Vivacity Gym in Peterborough, bought her first bicycle in October in 2014 and was a Duathlon World Champion by 2015, winning at the ITU (International Triathlon Union) World Sprint Championships in Adelaide, Australia.
Prior to her incredible sporting success, Claire had never considered duathlons until October last year when she was out running with a triathlete friend who attempted to persuade her to give triathlons a go.When Claire mentioned that she wasn't a great swimmer, her friend suggested she try Duathlons instead.
She teamed up with local cyclist and coach Mark Griffin shortly afterwards to develop her cycling and began competing nationally in 2015. After finishing strongly at an event in March 2015 she was selected to represent Great Britain at the World Duathlon Championships in Adelaide, Australia. In October 2015 Claire achieved something she could have only dreamed of a year earlier by becoming World Champion in the 25-29 age group.
It's a fantastic achievement, but Claire is modest and grounded. She says: "Although I train hard with Mark and am obviously competitive, I really just enjoy the sport and have got a great buzz out of doing well. My family have always been very sporty and have been so supportive over the last year which has helped a lot too."
A spokesperson for Vivacity Gym in Peterborough says: "We're very proud to have a GB athlete delivering studio cycling classes for Vivacity and we find that her classes are very popular."
Claire will now compete at the European Championships in Germany in April 2016 and has pre-qualified for the World Championships in Spain in June 2016. Before all that, it will have been hard miles and cold mornings as she trains with her coaches to prepare to come into her next season even stronger than her last.
We're delighted that Claire has done so well and can't wait to work with her throughout the upcoming season. We will be watching her progress with interest and wish her all the best over the coming months.
You can follow Claire's Twitter account @claire_steels or you can find her at on Instagram @steels_fitness
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