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Beth Potter: Scottish triathlete aims for Paris 2024 after world title

Great Britain's Beth Potter wins first Triathlon World Championship

By Thomas Duncan
BBC Scotland

Before switching to triathlon, Beth Potter did not even own a bike. Now, she is the world champion and has her eyes set on the podium at the Paris Olympics.

The Scot, 32, has completed a remarkable transformation from the track to triathlon in the past seven years, going from 10,000m heartbreak in Rio to the top of her new sport.

Not many would have had the bravery or belief to take on the challenge, but luckily Potter has both in abundance. But is even she surprised at her own success?

"Not really," she smiles. "People always laugh when I say that. But I had the belief I could be good and a lot of backing from my coaches and my friends and guys I train with.

"I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when it was going to come. But I was confident I could get there, it was just a matter of when really."

Confidence and gutsy determination have anchored her journey, which started after her 34th-place finish in the 10,000m at the 2016 Olympics.

Illness struck the night before the race, but overall Potter was left cold by the whole experience.

"I just didn't know if it was for me any more," she explains. "I really wanted to perform on the global stage and felt like I wasn't good enough on the track to do that.

"I wanted a global medal. I wanted to be the best in the world. And I felt like that was unachievable on the track."

Almost immediately she started having conversations about changing to triathlon.

Although she had not done competitive swimming for eight years, Potter had a talent for it growing up in Bearsden, Glasgow, before opting to take running more seriously.

So it was the cycling element that was the missing piece.

Sure she could ride a bike, but she did not own one and had never been clipped in to a proper road racer before. Potter, though, thought she could learn and besides, what did she have to lose?

Having balanced running with her work as a physics teacher in a secondary school, soon she was in a full-time performance environment in Leeds working alongside Britain's esteemed triathlon group, including the Brownlee brothers, Alistair and Jonny.

The results were far from instant.

"I spent a lot of time in my first couple of years in Leeds doubting myself and thinking: 'was it the right choice">