Noble pleased to finish 23rd despite knee problems

Gavin Noble was pleased to come 23rd in today's men's triathlon despite his recent knee problems.

The 31-year-old Fermanagh man was well in contention following the first two disciplines - a 1500m swim and a 40km cycle - but lost ground at the beginning of the 10km run as the Brownlee brothers from Great Britain, Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, and Spaniard Javier Gomez pulled clear of the pack.

At one point Noble took over the lead from the world's top two from GB duo.

Noble has had knee problems this year, but he didn't use that as an excuse for his disappointing run in the final section. At the start of the running section he was in 11th and only three seconds off the pace but could not keep up the pace to secure a top 20 spot.

He said: "I missed a few months of run training but it hasn't been easy for anyone to get here. You have to do your best on the day and I think I did that."

The Enniskillen triathlete was fairly pleased with his performance in London.

Noble said: "You are not really leading until you cross the line, I am happy enough, it was nice, it would have been disappointing to have been in the second group having to chase, but it was good to give people something to shout about and be interested in.

"My mam and dad are in the stands, so I kept them on the edge of their seats."