RICHARD Allen, a Farnham Swimming Club member, became a world champion when he won the World U23 Duathlon Championships in Penticton, Canada.

Farnham athlete Emma Pallant was also on the podium after taking third place in her defence of the senior women’s crown.

Leeds University student Allen qualified for the world event by winning the European U23 Duathlon Championships in Spain back in April.

The U23 event was run alongside the senior men’s World Championship in Penticton and comprised a 10km run, 40km cycle ride and finally a 5km run.

Allen was not only up against the world’s best, but had the contend with smoke blowing across the course from local forest fires as temperatures rose to 30 degrees.

He started strongly on the 10km run and set the pace over the first leg. Following the transition onto the bike, Allen remained in the leading pack for the full 40 kilometres. Great Britain team-mates Mark Buckingham and the younger Richard Allen attempted a breakaway on lap three, but the senior athletes responded strongly.

However, Allen remained well ahead in the U23 race and his overall time of 1hr 56mins 08secs was a full 39 seconds ahead of runner-up Javier Martin Morales (Spain), with Adrien Brifford (Switzerland) in third place.

France’s Benoit Nicolas won the senior men’s championship.

In the senior women’s event, Aldershot, Farnham & District athlete Emma Pallant was one of a group of four who soon dropped the rest of the field. Four became three heading into the 40km cycle and Australia’s Felicity Sheedy-Ryan, champion back in 2012, soon made a decisive move.

She was never caught and took the gold in convincing fashion, followed by Spain’s Margarita Garcia Carcia Cañellas and Pallant, who this time had to settle for bronze.

Pallant, however, was back at the top of the podium last weekend when she won the women’s World Aquathlon Championship, again held in Penticton.

The Farnham triathlete, this time competing over one-kilometre swim and five-kilometre run, was a convincing winner ahead of Delia Sclabas (Switzerland) and fellow Great Britain athlete Jacqueline Slack.

Pallant was eighth out of the water in a chilly and choppy Okanagan Lake and had to make up a deficit of almost three minutes.

But she showed her strength on the run and a storming finish clinched her first aquathlon world title.

Canada’s own Matthew Sharpe won the senior men’s event.

Richard Allen competed in the U23 championship and finished a creditable fifth.

• Richard Allen is the current Triathlon England Aquathlon Champion in both the U23 and senior men’s categories and has been so for the last two years. He is also the U23 European and now World Duathlon Champion.

He trains with Farnham Swimming Club and has been supported and assisted by the following: Farnham Swimming Club, Surrey ASA, Farnham Sports Council, Farnham Town Council, Waverley Council, Active Surrey, David Lloyd Farnham, Farnham Lions, Farnham Rotary Club, Farnham Round Table, The Hedgehogs, Guildford Rotary and a number of local businesses and individuals.

Farnham Swimming Club president Chris Lee said: “We are so delighted for Richard in winning his first world championship. It’s a testament to his hard work and dedication.

“It’s also fantastic for Farnham Swimming Club as we approaches our 125th anniversary year to have a world champion in the team.

“He trains with the club and competes for us and is such an inspiration to all our younger athletes.”