WORLD-CLASS para-triathlete Mike Salisbury will defend his British Championship title this weekend ahead of the Super Series Grand Final in Sunderland next month.

The Newcastle teacher, who was born with a congenial shortening of the left arm, will compete against some of the nation’s top athletes in the British Paratriathlon Championship, at Eton Dorney, Buckinghamshire, today.

Despite contracting Covid-19 last month and being forced to pull out of recent World Cup paratriathlon event in Spain, Salisbury hopes to be crowned national champion within the sport’s PTS5 classification - for ambulant athletes with mild impairments - having won the title last year.

The full-time geography teacher and assistant head of sixth form at Dame Allan’s Schools, in Fenham, said: “Falling ill with Covid did set me back in June and forced me to miss a competition in Coruña, however I’m fighting fit and looking forward to defending my title at Eton Dorney.

“I’ve had some fantastic support from pupils, which has really buoyed me both when competing and during training sessions around Newcastle, and I’m grateful to all those who have followed my triathlon journey over the last two years.”

Salisbury entered his first British paratriathlon in September 2020 and has represented GB on the world paratriathlon circuit for almost a year. Last week he travelled to Montreal, Canada, to compete in the World Triathlon Para Series, where he placed ninth.

He is currently ranked second in the UK and 20th in the world in the PTS5 classification.