Dales duo are in great form to take big honours

Duathlete Tasmin Boam has become the British Standard Distance Duathlon Champion in the under-20 age group - at her very first attempt.

The 17-year-old from Hackney near Matlock battled against a strong wind to come out on top in Saturday’s event at Clumber Park, near Worksop.

The Derbyshire Dales Junior Sportswoman of the Year 2014 has been a regular competitor at sprint distance events, but decided to step up to the full distance of a 10km run,40km followed by a 10km bike ride and then another 5km run.

And the move paid off as Tasmin battled against a strong wind to not only come in first place but also qualify for the 2015 World Duathlon Championships in Adelaide and the 2016 European Duathlon Championships.

“In terms of accomplishment, this was my first British title so it was quite big deal for me,” said a delighted Tasmin.

Meanwhile, martial artist Sam Mak has travelled to Norway for the Oslo Wushu Open.

Sam, from Matlock, entered two senior events - modern open fist and modern weapons (jianshu) – against competitors from 11 other countries.

It was the 22-year-old’s first event in which he competed using optional routines that he choreographed himself and includes difficulty elements.

Yet his scores of 9.37 in modern fist and 9.36 in modern weapons were good enough to secure gold in both events.

“I was extremely pleased with the results and performances, especially given that the modern weapon category included a past European champion,” said Sam.

“The results also meant that I ended up with the highest overall score and was therefore given the Grand Champion title.

“It was a good indicator of my current level of performance and what I need to work on before the World Championships in November.”