Georgia Taylor-Brown and Barclay Izzard started their seasons in the perfect way with wins at the Gran Canaria ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup. Jodie Stimpson won silver and there were further top ten results for a success British squad on the Spanish island.

Sara Perez Sala of Spain set the early pace, with a fast 750m swim putting her ahead of the rest of the field by 30 seconds. However, Taylor-Brown and Stimpson were both with the main group that caught Perez Sala. They measured their efforts until the final 1km of the run, and in the closing stages, Taylor-Brown had the fresher legs and won by seven seconds over Stimpson.

In the men’s race, eight GB athletes took to the ocean to start their races. Barclay Izzard, just 19 years old, grabbed his first senior win having finished sixth at the ITU World Championships in the junior event last September. His win came, thanks in part, to a strong run, but he’d executed a mature all-round performance with excellent transitions as well as individual disciplines.

Chris Perham was the next best Briton in fifth, and the fast-finishing Alex Yee finished sixth in his first triathlon since a horrific crash last summer in Italy.