Turner aims for World Ironman after battling illness

Ollie Turner has been competing internationally for Jersey since he was a teenager

Jersey triathlete Ollie Turner hopes he can put illness behind him and qualify for the Ironman World Championship.

The 26-year-old, who has raced for the island at the past two Commonwealth Games, is heading to Shanghai to race in the 70.3 Ironman event on 25 May, one of the qualifying events for the World Championship in Nice in September.

It comes just a few months after the Cardiff-based athlete was diagnosed with a serious blood disorder.

Turner found out he was suffering from Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP), which lowers the amount of platelets in your blood, which are vital for clotting.

"It's where my body is killing my own platelets and my platelets were mega low, they were down at 14,000 and the average is between 150,000 and 450,000," Turner explained.

"Surprisingly I was not hugely symptomatic, I was just tired if anything, but the doctors told me I wasn't safe to do anything risky at all.

"I had to take a little bit of time away from the sport, but luckily with the support of the NHS and the haemophilia team in Cardiff, I've managed to get myself back up pretty quick."

Turner finished 15th for Jersey at the last Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, four years after coming home 26th on the Gold Coast when he was just 19.

Having recovered from his illness, he is hopeful he can have a strong season in 2025.

"My platelets are back up, my energy levels are back up and training has been really going well over the last month or so," he added.

"I'm really, really excited to start my season. The shape's coming together and I'm looking forward to hopefully a successful 2025."