Kelvin Gomez sets new national best at Challenge Salou after Valencia Ironman

Gibraltar’s professional triathlete Kelvin Gomez has competed in two major middle-distance events over the past three weeks, recording a new national best time in the process.

The first of the two races saw Gomez line up at the IRONMAN 70.3 Valencia on April 19, where he competed in a strong professional field which included reigning Ironman World Champion Sam Laidlow.

Racing against around 70 professional athletes, Gomez finished 34th overall in a time of 3:49. Although slightly outside his overall national best mark at the time, the Gibraltar athlete recorded a personal best half marathon off the bike with a run split of 1:12.

The event also marked the first time the Gibraltar flag had appeared in a professional Ironman field.

Organisers described the Valencia race as featuring a 1.9km swim at Playa de la Malvarrosa in the Mediterranean, followed by a 90km bike course stretching towards Sierra Calderona before returning through the city towards the City of Arts and Sciences. Athletes then completed a 21.1km run course through the Turia Gardens and Ciudad de las Artes.

Laidlow won the race in a time of 3:33:56, ahead of Germany’s Lasse Nygaard Priester and Fabian Kraft, who completed the podium positions.

Official records for the Valencia event also listed three other Gibraltar athletes among the registered competitors: Richard Wait, Gavin Griffin and Alcia Cruz Cervera.

Gomez returned to competition this past Sunday at Challenge Salou, where he placed 17th and set a new national best time of 3:46, improving his previous mark by one minute.

Organisers of the Salou middle-distance race described the course as a fast route along the Mediterranean coastline, featuring a two-lap swim, a four-lap cycling section on a highway course designed for high average speeds, and a four-lap run route along the Costa Daurada with large crowds lining the course.