![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/i-went-from-full-time-job-to-world-triathlon-top-20-after-dreaming-of-becoming-a-teacher/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/1_Fenella-Langridge-Salou.jpg&description=Fenella Langridge didn't turn pro at triathlon until her mid-20s, but the athlete - who worked various jobs while coming through the ranks - is now ranked just outside the top 10 When Fenella Langridge left university, she expected to end up as a teacher or in the military, but has instead risen through the Ironman triathlon rankings to knock on the door of the world top 20. The longer distance isn't part of the Olympic programme in Paris, where Team GB will be looking to build on an impressive medal haul from the Tokyo games. Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown both took individual silvers, while there was a gold medal in the mixed team relay. Langridge's task is a little different, with the 31-year-old preparing for Challenge London on August 6 followed by the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in the autumn. She finished sixth in Kona last year, her debut in the competition, and is now aiming higher after coming a huge distance - literally and figuratively - to reach this point. "I graduated Cardiff Met [University], I was still enjoying training too much to let it slide, and I still I suppose had that ambition to get as good as I can be," Langridge tells Mirror Sport. "But obviously at the same time I had to support triathlons and support my life while not living at home, so I had a variety of jobs. "I personal trained, worked in bike shops, did a stint in a law firm. They were great and I think looking back they taught me many things I used in my day to day life now as a full-time athlete. "In my final year at university I put the three [disciplines] together and started competing. When I was younger I swum semi-competitively and did multi-sport events, biathlons and stuff, but my main focus when I was growing up was hockey. "I just enjoyed sport, I did everything, being active and outside, but it wasn't until that final year of university that I finally caught the triathlon bug and saw the opportunity. "When I was training at university I was training alongsid){kind=link}
Fenella Langridge didn’t turn pro at triathlon until her mid-20s, but the athlete – who worked various jobs while coming through the ranks – is now ranked just outside the top 10
When Fenella Langridge left university, she expected to end up as a teacher or in the military, but has instead risen through the Ironman triathlon rankings to knock on the door of the world top 20.
The longer distance isn’t part of the Olympic programme in Paris, where Team GB will be looking to build on an impressive medal haul from the Tokyo games. Alex Yee and Georgia Taylor-Brown both took individual silvers, while there was a gold medal in the mixed team relay.
Langridge’s task is a little different, with the 31-year-old preparing for Challenge London on August 6 followed by the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii in the autumn. She finished sixth in Kona last year, her debut in the competition, and is now aiming higher after coming a huge distance – literally and figuratively – to reach this point.
“I graduated Cardiff Met [University], I was still enjoying training too much to let it slide, and I still I suppose had that ambition to get as good as I can be,” Langridge tells Mirror Sport. “But obviously at the same time I had to support triathlons and support my life while not living at home, so I had a variety of jobs.