Double gold medal success for Peggy Down Under
The multi-event veteran travelled to Australia's Gold Coast with the intention of defending the over-65s triathlon sprint title she won in Vancouver, Canada, last year.
But while she was Down Under, Lapford-based Crome decided to give the aquathlon event a go as well and ended up winning both.
Crome said: "It was strange. I was originally thinking I would just go in and do the aquathlon for a bit of practice (ahead of the triathlon), but once I was in the field I just got carried away with it.
"I thought it was a long way to travel for one race so I might as well do both. The aquathlon gave me a feel for the water and I ended up winning both events. I went into the triathlon quite relaxed because I thought that, whatever happens, I have already got my gold medal."
Crome automatically qualified for this year's championships as a result of her victory in Vancouver last year.
The 66-year-old won the 65 to 69 years age group in the aquathlon, which consisted of two 2.5km runs with a 1,000m swim sandwiched in between, after leading from the start she finished in 56mins 24secs — more than three minutes ahead of her nearest competitor.
Crome then topped the podium in the same class in the sprint triathlon —made up of a 750m swim, a 20km bike race and 5km run — by finishing in 1.34.35. She said: "It was tougher last year because it was so cold in Vancouver. It was from one extreme to the other this year.
"You don't notice the heat on the swim or on the bike. I noticed it a bit on the run, even though we were competing early in the morning, but the conditions this year were more friendly. I wasn't expecting to win the triathlon because I didn't know who else was competing.
"I didn't know whether I had won for a long time after the race had finished, but I was delighted to win a second gold."
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