A teenager from a Blackburn school has finished in sixth place in her debut international race, and the third Brit overall.

Lara Ingram-Weston, 17, took part in this year’s event in Pontevedra Spain.

She was one of more than 2,200 triathletes aged 18 to 85 from 46 countries that flocked to the Spanish city to participate in the pinnacle event of the World Triathlon race calendar. 

Lara said: “This was my debut race and it was really exciting.

"It was great meeting all the other athletes at the opening ceremony and representing my country, parading through the crowd-lined streets of Pontevedra.

“My total time was 32:12 minutes, putting me in sixth place and the third overall Brit, which I’m pleased with.”

Lancashire Telegraph: Lara, now in her final year of Sixth Form at Westholme School on Meins Road, represented Great Britain in the 15 to 19 age category for super-sprint triathlon.

The triathlon consisted of a 300m open water river swim, 6.4km bike course and finishing with a 1.6km run. 

Lee Purdy, head of sport at Westholme School, said: “Lara is an exceptional athlete with such focus and determination.

"Being able to nurture such extra-curricular activities is very important to us here at Westholme, and we look forward to hearing about her continuing sporting successes in the future.”

Lara, who is currently studying criminology and physics for her A-Levels, has been participating in triathlons since she was in primary school.

She said: “I’ve been running with Chorley Athletic and Triathlon Club and cycling with North West Cycle Coaching since I was eight. 

"My mum is a regular triathlete and my dad had done some too, so I suppose it runs in the family.

“I’d kept the world championships fairly quiet, so my friends and teachers were quite surprised when they found out where I’d been, and the event I’d competed in.”

The dedicated athlete’s typical weekly training schedule involves two or three speed and distance runs with her coach Stuart Swann, both indoor and outdoor swim training with coaches from the Tri club, and two 20km bike rides a week with coaches from North West Cycle Coaching.

During the winter, Lara, from Leyland, focuses on cross country training to ensure she is in the best shape for competitions.

She added: “I’ve always competed in local cross-country and athletics events, and I’ve been on the podium every year for the Blackburn with Darwen Schools Cross Country event.

"This year I was first again at the recent District event and will be racing for a spot in the Lancashire team in February.

"Now that I know what to expect at the Triathlon World Championships, I know that with more focused training, a top three finish in my age category is a real possibility.”