JONATHAN Grundy has been selected to represent Great Britain in the Age Group Team for the ITU Triathlon World Championships on December 6 in Queenstown, New Zealand.

The Chorley AC athlete gained his place on the 20-24 age group team in the Shropshire Triathlon in June after being first out of the lake.

He suffered from blisters on the run, which slowed his run time and initially left him feeling sure that his hopes of a GB place had been dashed.

But he was pleased to discover, out of the blue, that he had been selected.

The event consists of a 1,500m swim, a 40km cycle and then a 10km run.

The 20-year-old from Clayton-le-Woods said: "Naturally I am overjoyed to make the GB team in the short distance race, where competition for places is particularly fierce.

"However, I must self fund my travel and accommodation, which with the event being in New Zealand is likely to cost in the region of £2,500, so I am currently looking for any possible sponsors or I may have to reconsider whether I can take up the place."

Jonathan comes from a swimming background and was ranked sixth in the country in the 200m butterfly as a 16-year-old.

He has been competing in triathlons for two years but only restarted competing this season after taking a year out to pursue his career.

He is currently a trainee accountant at Hayes and Co Chartered Accountants in Blackburn.

His selection caps a fantastic season for Chorley AC Tri section with a third athlete selected to race for Great Britain after Dave Herne and Chris Biddulph competed in the Long Distance event in Ibiza last May.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Jonathan can contact him on 07711 274570.