A planner at our South West region has secured a place in the British team at the European Aquathlon Championships in Belgium later this month.

Ollie Thorogood will represent Team GB in the 1km swim and 5km run event, which will be held in the city of Menen this bank holiday weekend.

Ollie has worked for Persimmon at our Exeter office for the past four years and qualified for the event following a number of impressive performances.

Everyone from Persimmon is wishing Ollie the best of luck, particularly the South West business who have sponsored Ollie and his kit for the upcoming Championships.

When he isn’t working in the Exeter office, Ollie is maintaining his training regime but is adding more open-water specific swimming this time in preparation for the completion.

Ollie has represented his country on a European and World level, coming 4^th in both last year’s European championships and the Worlds earlier this year in Ibiza.

Originally from Aberystwyth in Mid Wales, Ollie took up the sport after his sister represented Britain in the Triathlon discipline at the Youth Olympics.

Wishing Ollie the best of luck, Regional Sales Director, Stacey Harris, said:

“Having an athlete of Ollie’s calibre working at our business is such a rarity that we were obviously going to sponsor him again.

“Being able to represent Great Britain at the European Aquathlon Championship is, I’m sure, a great honour for Ollie but it for us at Persimmon too.

“We know him as a planner and if he brings the high standards of his job to the competition then there’s no reason he shouldn’t be aiming high.

“We’ll be cheering him on from the office and proudly boast he’s part of the Persimmon family.”

The 27-year-old planner and athlete said:

“I’m really looking forward to going to Menen to compete at this year’s championships and I’m pleased with my fourth-place finishes in last year’s event and the Worlds earlier this year, so trying to nab a medal is definitely my target this time around.

“It’s always difficult to prepare for these competitions but it’s always worth it, especially when you get the chance to represent your country – not too dissimilar to the planning process, it’s an endurance test.

“It’s always an honour to represent Great Britain and I am very grateful to the support provided by Persimmon and the team in the South West which has allowed me to pursue both my career and sporting ambitions.”