Defending champion Clements came home behind eventual winner Chris Volley from the Isle of Wight and Gibraltar’s Chris Walker, while Tim Rogers and Phil Ahier performed heroically to finish fourth and 12th respectively.Volley led from start to finish as the top three maintained those positions throughout the race, with Clements crossing the line in 2 hr 1 min 37 sec.
Volley finished in 1.57.36 and Walker clocked 2.00.19.The trio were given a boost early in the race when Guernsey threat Alan Rowe was forced to retire after puncturing his back wheel on the first lap of the bike leg.The competitors had to put up with a torrential downpour in the middle of the race, but as he crossed the line draped in the Jersey flag Clements showed no signs of disappointment at losing his crown.’I’m obviously tired, but the feeling of winning a medal takes away a lot of the pain, plus there was plenty of encouragement out there to keep me on the job,’ he said.
‘There were two or three guys who were really close, so there was no way I could let off at all and ease back.
I had to stay strong.’The guy who won is ten years my junior.
It was a tough race.
The quality of field is much higher this year.
I had a really good swim but I paid for it on the bike a bit and the first lap of the run, but bronze medal – I’m over the moon.
‘My tactic was to lay down the law and make sure they knew what my intentions were – work from the front and let them do the hard work chasing me.
I went off quickly in the swim but managed to hold on.
The bike was a bit of a worry, being my weak point, but I love riding here – it’s a beautiful island.’Rogers, who had one of his best ever races, said he was fully aware of the situation with the team event throughout the race.
‘Even though I could see I was out of the medals, every second counts for the team event.
It was a team effort – a fantastic race,’ he said.Ahier added: ‘It went well and I was pleased with my performance overall.
There were loads of people from Jersey shouting all the way round, and it really gives you an incentive to keep going.’Andy Kemp was Jersey’s next finisher in 15th place in a time of 2.11.24, with Terry Noel placing 17th in 2.13.10 and Kevin Mahoney 19th in 2.13.27.
