DORCHESTER’S Ian Habgood has taken to duathlon like a duck to water and is gearing up for the European Championships next week.

In only his first run-cycle-run event, the 24-year-old finished first in his age group to book a place in the Great Britain team for the upcoming European Championships in Budapest on May 23-24.

One race later, Habgood earned qualification for the World Championships in September.

The rising star though, fears he may not make it to the American showpiece. He said: “In my first duathlon race I came 13th overall but first for my age group and Great Britain pick four people from each age group there to go to the European Championships.

“I then finished 20th in my next race and third in my age group to qualify for the World Championships in America.

“I’m looking forward to Budapest and I’m hoping to do well but the only difficulty is finding the money to go to America as well, as those of us who are not part of the elite team have to pay our own way, and the costs all add up.”

Despite his early success, Habgood believes there is plenty of room for improvement. He added: “I’m a runner and I’ve been running for three years now. I can run a marathon in under three hours and I’ve represented Dorset at cross-country a few times as well, so I’m stronger at running than cycling.

“I’m still improving and there’s room for a lot of improvement on the bike. The plan now is to try and get into the elite group of athletes.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring Habgood can contact him on 07786166153 in the afternoons.