(Seychelles News Agency) - Seychelles’ first professional triathlete Nick Baldwin is eyeing a first place finish in next month’s Ironman Wales, after having had a consistent season achieving good results at several competitions.

Baldwin’s has just managed a fourth overall position in the latest Ironman event he participated in, the third edition of Ironman Sweden.

The race in Kalmar last weekend saw the participation of 2700 triathletes from some 47 countries.

Balwin managed to swim 2.4 miles in 55 minutes and 31 seconds, clocking 4 hours, 35 minutes and 41 seconds at the end of a 112 mile bike leg and running a 26.2 miles distance in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 47 seconds to secure the fourth position overall.

In an e-mail interview with SNA, he said there was some tough competition in Sweden especially after he did not get off to the best start in the 2.4 mile swim.

Baldwin was amongst 2700 triathletes from 47 countries participating in Ironman Sweden (Nick Baldwin) Photo License: CC-BY

“I struggled in the swim and came out of the water with a 6 minute deficit to the main contenders. This meant that I had to cycle solo for the majority of the ride, which is always mentally very challenging compared to riding with a group of others. The task was made more difficult by experiencing stomach problems on the bike (………) Despite this, I finished with the third fastest bike split of the day, losing just 6 minutes to two of the best bikers in the sport (……..) Fortunately I soon began to feel better and was able to run quite well, finishing with a 2:55 marathon which I was pleased with,” said Baldwin.

“As always, some aspects of the race could have been better, but there were many positives to take away as well. 4th in a competitive field is a good result, but if I’m honest I was hoping to fight for a place on the podium.”

Baldwin noted that he spent two and a half weeks in Mallorca (Spain) training for Ironman Sweden, which he said is a fantastic training location, especially for cycling.

Baldwin managed to finish with the third fastest bike split of the day, losing just 6 minutes to two of the best bikers in the sport (Nick Baldwin) Photo License: CC-BY

In the beginning of the year, Baldwin who is backed by some Seychelles-based sponsors, also had the opportunity to prepare for his 2014 season by training in Arizona, USA following which he managed to finish in third place in the Ironman Australia triathlon on May 04, only two weeks after he managed to come out fifth in the Taiwan challenge.

Following his career best performance, coming out in third place in the Australia race in May he has raced twice over much shorter distances in the UK, winning both events, something Baldwin told SNA has given him a lot of confidence.

The Indian Ocean archipelago’s triathlete is now gearing up for his last race for this 2014 season which is Ironman Wales and he has already indicated that he is aiming big for the September 14 event.

“My ambitions for the race in Wales are high – I want to win the race (……) I'm confident that I have the mindset as well as the fitness to win. It's regarded as one of the most difficult Ironman races in the world, with over 2000m of climbing on the bike. It's a course that should suit my strengths,” said Baldwin.

2014 is his eighth season in the sport and only his second year as a professional triathlete.

The Ironman Triathlon is a long distance race organized by the World Triathlon Corporation consisting of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 mile marathon run with no break in between.

The Ironman Sweden consisted of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike race and a 26.2 mile run (Nick Baldwin) Photo License: CC-BY