TRIATHLETE Mark Lewarne will compete for Great Britain in the European Championships in Portugal at the end of the month.

The Penryn College teacher, aged 30, will be one of ten British athletes in the 45-strong field in Lisbon on Friday, May 27.

It will be his first appearance in the Euros since Israel in 2012 and he is in confident mood ahead of the race.

He said: "I am focusing on speed work before I fly to Lisbon. I'm aiming for a top three finish but somewhere in the top ten would be a good result."

After a very wet spell of weather in Portugal recently, the forecast for the end of the month is hot and sunny.

"I'm quite happy in those conditions. I've had two weeks of training in Lanzarote so I'm used to it - my results are good in hot weather."

Penryn College's headteacher Marie Hunter said: "It's fantastic, the children are very excited to see how he does. Most of the students here are doing out-of-hours activities two or three times a week, so it's great for them to have something to which they can aspire."

Mark, from Truro, wants to set up an academy at the school during the summer to introduce triathlon to the students.

"I might even get some of the staff doing it," he smiled.