BLACK Notley's Sue Clarke is a World Champion after racing to an astounding victory at the ITU World Sprint Duathlon Championships in Denmark.

It was the seventh time that Clarke, who retired from being director of Sixth Form at Forest School in 2016, had been selected to race for Great Britain at a major duathlon championships since 2015.

She had previously achieved bronze, silver and gold medals at European Championship level as well as a bronze at the 2015 World Championships, but she claimed the biggest prize of all on the Danish island of Fyn.

In a close-fought race, Clarke collected a gold medal in the 60 to 64 age group making her the 2018 World Champion. The Sprint Duathlon consists of a five kilometre run followed by a 20km cycle followed immediately by another 2.5km run.

The Essex athlete completed the first run ahead of her rivals but was overtaken during the cycle leg, having thrown her chain as she left the transition area.

Her American rival, Gail Waldman, completed the cycle leg one minute ten seconds ahead of Clarke, but in an incredibly fast-paced finish, she caught Waldman, overtook her, and finished the race with a winning margin of 18 seconds.

There are three qualifying races for the British Duathlon team each year, open to anyone who joins the British Triathlon Association, and all athletes have to hit performance targets within these races relative to their age group for selection. Getting on the team is a major undertaking in itself and achieving a podium position in an international event is evidence of real athletic talent on top of drive and a lots of hard work.

Clarke's win automatically qualifies her for the World Duathlon Championships in Pontevedra in Spain next year, however, before that, she has the 2018 European Championships in Ibiza to prepare for in October.