Oscar Kelly

Started: He took up the sport in 2017, and joined the Great Britain Para Triathlon Talent Squad the same year. (britishtriathlon.org, 01 Jan 2024; ilfordrecorder.co.uk, 16 Jul 2021) Reason: "When I was 15, I was banned from cycling to school. I was running a bit late, sped past my headmaster on his own bike - and scared the life out of him. I went from riding a bike every day to not at all, and I thought, 'I need to ride a bike'. I'd never done it competitively, just for pleasure, but I started doing some velodrome work and Para cycling events held by British Cycling where I met [British Para triathlete] Charlie Stanton-Stock. His mum spoke to my dad about triathlon. I did a couple of duathlons from there against able-bodied athletes on a solo bike, and I did fairly well in those. I then decided to learn how to swim properly." (sportsaid.org.uk, 30 May 2022) Ambition: To compete at the Paralympic Games. (teamengland.org, 01 Apr 2022) Additional Info: GUIDE He teamed up with guide Charlie Harding in 2021. "One thing that works great with Charlie that I've never had with another guide, is that we think quite alike. That tends to help and it doesn't happen with everyone. We're just lucky that between the two of us, how we react in race situations is the exact same. That really helps when trying to sync up." (britishtriathlon.org, 05 Apr 2023)