Newcastle: Teachers represent England at Abu Dhabi Championship

Geography teacher Mike Salisbury of Dame Allan School in Fenham was the highest-placed Briton in the high-profile PTS5 boys’ competition in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, finishing eighth.

The 35-year-old secured his place in Team GB following a number of successes, including gold at the British Para-triathlon Championships in July.

The vice-principal of No. 6 Middle School, who was born with a congenital defect in her left arm, completed the course on Yas Island in just over an hour.

read more: Met Office issues yellow weather fog warning to northeast drivers

Speaking about his success, he said: “My aim is to be in the top 10, so I’m very happy.

“Being part of a huge team of athletes, from someone like me making my debut at the World Championships to multiple world champions and Paralympic and Olympic medalists, has been a highlight for me.

“The swim was in Al Raha Creek and the water temperature was 28 degrees, which means it was a non-wetsuit swim.

“The wetsuit helps with buoyancy, so the swim time was a little slower than usual.”

In very high temperatures, he managed to finish the course with a time of 1:03:55 and credits his performance to the heat training.

He has been warming up at Newcastle in preparation for the event and his performances seem to be proving the effectiveness of that training.

Mr Salisbury is also a fully qualified mountain leader for World Challenge Expeditions and has led the school on extreme condition trips to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

“The runway is a flat two-lap track along the Corniche, which sounds easy, but there’s nowhere to hide from the heat,” he said.

“I was well prepared for this by doing some hot prep beforehand, but it really gets you down!”

read more: Dwelaniyah Robinson: Burns, bruises to legs and head injury resulted in death

At the same time, he is planning to use his experience to start and run an athletic mentoring program at the school, supporting students participating in high-level sports.

The 1,200 kindergarten and sixth grade school supports Mr. Salisbury’s efforts and commends his achievements.

In a statement, Mrs Allen’s principal, Will Scott, said: “Mike has proven time and time again his ambition and ability in the Paratriathlon arena and all students and teachers at Mrs Allen’s School The staff are incredibly proud of his achievements.”

He competed in the PTS5 Paratriathlon, a competition for ambulance athletes with mild impairments, and was ranked 16th in the world and second in the UK in his category.

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for £1.25 a week. Click here