AS WELL as being a student at Loughborough University Daniel Guerrero is also a dedicated triathlete with the ambition to race in the Birtish Triathlon Championships and become the next British champion. His dedication sees him training twice a day – once before and once after his classes.

In this interview he talks about how his interest in the sport began as well as some of the successes he has already had when competing.

How did you first get involved with triathlon and who and what have been your major influences?

I competed in my first triathlon in 2010, when my best friend from school asked if I wanted to do a local charity race for fun. I have been hooked since then! While I have been competing I have always been one to challenge my self, in 2012 I went to watch the British Sprint Championships, and since that day I have told my self “one day you will be named British champion.” It’s still a work in progress but one day it will happen!

What have your highlights in the sport been so far and what are your biggest achievements?

My most proud achievement in the sport, came last year at Nottingham triathlon where I had a finish time of 1:01 hours for an open water sprint. It may not have been the best placing of the year, but it was the race I was most proud of! I’m going back again this year to try to beat my time again!

My biggest achievements so far have been my two third place overall trophies that I won last year at Doncaster and Brigg triathlon. As well as coming fourth at the British Championships.

Your aim is to become the next British Champion. How do you find the motivation and dedication to keep working towards your goal and how close are you to fulfilling your ambition?

As I previously mentioned, ever since I watched my first British Championships in 2012 I have wanted to be the one to step up on the podium with the gold medal. My motivation comes from the promise I made to myself, that one day I will make it. I know that so long as I keep putting the hard work in, my day will come! Last year I came fourth missing out on the podium by about 20 seconds. However this year I have also moved up an age group so things have just got tougher again. All things being well though I should be in a good place to compete for a podium position by May!

Which of the three sports do you excel at and how do you focus on your strengths as well as your weaknesses?

Out of the three sports I tend to find I’m strongest on the bike. Knowing this I have tried to increase my swim volume to around 12 to 15km per week, which has definitely helped as I’m already seeing improvements to my times. I’m doing the same with running and it has also been going well, I’m producing some great results in training which bodes well for the upcoming season.

As a student at university you train in your spare time. How hard is it to make sure you put in enough training as well as keeping up with your studies?

This is probably the most difficult aspect of my training, currently I can only manage two sessions a day (early morning and late evening). Being at Loughborough University is a great help, as there is a pool only ten-minute walk from my house. By being organised and prepared for the day, It makes things easier. But weekdays are still very busy from 5:30am to 10:30pm!

What advice would you give to young people looking to get involved in triathlon and how would you encourage them to keep at once they embark on the sport?

I would recommend triathlon to anyone! No matter what your sporting background triathlon is for everyone. And trust me once you have done one, you will want to go back and beat your time.

The main advice I would give, is to just enjoy it! Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing when your first starting out, just concentrate on doing your best. Cliché I know but its very true.

If you decide you want to keep doing triathlons after your first race, set your self a goal. Having a personal goal is the best way to motivate your self to go out and train and keep competing in the sport!

You can find Daniel’s blog at  https://danswimbikerun.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter at @DanGuerrero16