What a wonderful sight! Proud triathlete Nigel Merrony carrying the Welsh flag as he crosses the finishing line of the Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, on Saturday.

Competing in the 60-64 category, Nigel qualified for the challenge following his third Ironman Wales race in 2014 when he crossed the red carpet finish in 12 hours and 58 seconds.

A total of 2,300 athletes from all corners of the world and all walks of life took part in the event, billed as the world’s most iconic endurance event.

Nigel told us: “I woke up on race day at 4 am after a surprisingly good night’s sleep feeling well and ready to get my race number tattoos put on by the very well-organised and helpful race day volunteers. I had an hour-and-a-half wait for the race start cannon. The swim took longer than my normal race time, but not unexpected as training swim had been slower in Kona.

“I started the bike well. A couple of hours into the bike ride, the 120 degrees road surface temperature, combined with 95 degree air temperature, overheated my feet to an almost unbearable level, aggravating a previous sustained injury. The consequence being I could not pedal properly with my left foot which cost me a lot of time. At the top of the island towards Hawi, we ran into a strong headwind and rain, with spectacular thunder and lightning in the distance.

“I entered the run transition with celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. We were both feeling the heat and exhaustion at this point. I knew I had no chance of running the entire marathon as my injury was really hindering my progress, but with a combination of running and walking I made it and achieved my goal of completing the Kona World Championship, carrying the Welsh flag over the finish line in tribute to all my supporters and well wishers at home. Thank you all so much for your enthusiasm.”