Ironman winner aims for world number one

Jeremy Maclean moved to the US last year to take up a sports scholarship

A triathlete who went from being a teenage "tearaway" to winning his first half Ironman race has set his sights on becoming world champion.

Jeremy Maclean, from Moseley, triumphed over 1,569 amateur competitors in the Ironman 70.3 Gulf Coast event in the US on 11 May.

Competing on his 19th birthday, in Panama City, Florida, he finished the course in 3:47:38, more than 21 minutes ahead of his closest rival.

"If I can keep applying myself day in day out and keep enjoying it and just enjoying the process then I don’t see why I can’t go all the way," he said.

He finished fourth in the National Collegiate Triathlon championships in California on 14 April, which gained him a professional licence

Dad, Adam, described the "born fidgeter" as a "Birmingham success story".

"The city has really excelled - people have given time and encouraged him," he said.

Maclean, who moved to the US last year to take up a sports scholarship at Queens University of Charlotte, said: "I think it surprised a lot of people going as fast as I did.

"3:47 was not in my scope going into it, but that’s the beauty of racing really - you can just go faster than you think.

"To go way above any expectation is very cool."

Father Adam credited grassroots sports clubs for setting his son on the path to success.

He described how his son would get into trouble at secondary school and was once suspended.

"He was a proper tearaway... we were properly tearing our hair out," Adam said.

Searching for a focus, he took his son to a bike club at Gorilla Cafe in Kings Heath.

Within a month, he noted a transformation. "Massive intensity, deep focus, devouring every bit of information he could find," he said.

The then 14-year-old told his dad "completely out of nowhere" his five-year-goal was to participate in an Ironman when he was 18.

With the help of a local endurance coach, Damo Littlewood, and later support from Solihull Cycling Club, University of Birmingham Triathlon Club and Birmingham Running Athletics and Triathlon Club, he began to train in earnest.

"It's been a whole community of people that have helped him," Adam said.

Time trial training at Solihull Cycling Club helped the 19-year-old improve handling skills and power

Maclean, whose mum is from the USA and has dual citizenship, came fourth in the US College Triathlon Champs last month, a shorter Olympic-distance event, which gained him a professional licence.

He now aims to compete his first professional event in July.

"It's such early days, this is the start, but he's kind of announced himself on the scene in the US," his father said.

"We are incredibly proud, we're really proud of the effort he puts in. Kids can turn their lives around."

Maclean said he looked forward to seeing how far he could go as a professional Ironman athlete.

"The sport is hard, it rewards hard work but it is super hard to get to the top," he said.

"There's no reason why I couldn't get pretty close or all the way to the top - as why would you limit yourself?"