Triathlete Atkinson wins Jersey's first 2025 Island Games gold

Jersey's Tom Atkinson has won the first gold medal at the 2025 Island Games.

Atkinson won the men's individual triathlon around Stromness Harbour in Orkney, finishing ahead of Gotland's silver-medallist Thomas Atkinson and Bobby Oag from Orkney who took bronze.

Atkinson's performance also helped Jersey's men's team of Peter Holmes, Dale Quenault, Wayne Quenault, Dirk Swart and Mark Syvret retain the team gold medal they won two years ago.

Guernsey's men's team of Dan Armsden, David Fairbrother, David Mosley, Christopher Norman, Ove Svejstrup and Ethan Woodhead took team bronze.

The triathlon was the first medal event at the 2025 games where more than 2,000 sports people will be competing from 24 islands.

It was a first individual Island Games medal for 21-year-old Atkinson, who was fourth at the last Island Games in Guernsey.

"I knew I wanted to finish higher up than fourth in Guernsey, that was my hope coming into it, so to win it is incredible," Atkinson told BBC Radio Jersey.

"I tried to push the swim hard and noticed there were some guys sat on my feet for the whole swim, so I pushed for the first couple of laps on the bike and took it from there," he added.

"On the run I tried to set out a bit easy as it's quite a hilly course, but I think I paced it well."