A triathlete from Camborne has qualified for both the World and European Triathlon Championships in 2026.

Steve Farnell was just thirteen when he first entered a triathlon. After enjoying the cycling, struggling in the swim and dropping out on the run, he thought it would be his last.

In 2019, more than thirty years later, Steve entered his second triathlon after joining the local lifesaving club and improving his swimming. The event took place at St Ives Leisure Centre, and this time he not only finished but loved the experience so much he entered the rest of the Cornish series.

Fast forward to 2025 and Steve, now 54, represents Team GB in his age group and has again qualified for both the World and European Triathlon Championships next year.

Not that it’s all been plain sailing for the husband and dad from Camborne since embarking on his triathlete career.

“I went down with long Covid in 2020 and was so ill, I couldn’t walk upstairs without being out of breath,” he said. “It took six months for me to be able to start gently exercising – first of all walking around the block once, then twice, and gradually building myself back up from there.”

By 2021, Steve was competing in triathlons again – so successfully that he won the Cornish triathlon series in his age group and qualified as a Team GB athlete.

In 2022 he came eleventh out of 68 competitors in the Montreal World Championships but, in 2023, suffered another setback when he crashed into safety barriers at the Hamburg World Championships – snapping his bike frame in three places and leaving him with a broken nose and collarbone, bruised ribs and multiple cuts.

“Recovering after long Covid helped my mindset,” said Steve. “I knew I’d get back to training once my injuries healed.”

As one of Cornwall’s GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) athletes, Steve benefits from free access to any of the 240 Better sports and leisure facilities across the UK and regularly trains at Helston Sports Centre where fellow GSF athlete Matt Trewhella gives him swim coaching lessons.

“Swimming has always been something I’ve had to work hard at, and Matt’s expertise is really helping,” he said. “Being one of Cornwall’s GSF athletes has been a game-changer and I’m very grateful for all the support GLL provides.”

Steve broke his collarbone for the second time during another bike crash at this year’s world championships in Spain but remains as determined as ever to be the best triathlete he can.

“I’ll be competing in the 55-59 triathlon age group in 2026 – something my thirteen-year-old self would never have considered possible.

“It’s a hobby that has broadened my horizons, normalised crazy and keeps me fit. As you can tell, I’m hooked.”

144 Cornwall-based athletes, representing 23 sports, received GSF support worth £92,150 in 2025.

Applications for 2026 GSF awards open on December 20. For more information, visit www.gllsportfoundation.org/