Nick Pilgrim and Maddie Durkin were crowned national champions after claiming victory in the BTA Sprint Triathlon on Sunday.

Taking on a challenging course at Clearwater Beach, Pilgrim got off to a blistering start completing the 750-metre swim in 11min 5sec to exit the water with a near two minute advantage over the entire field.

He further extended that lead on the bike, finishing the 20km course in a time of 31:29, the second fastest among the field.

With a comfortable cushion over the chasing pack, Pilgrim just had to remain steady on the 5km run, running a comfortable time of 21:24 to cross the finish line in an overall time of 1:04:39, more than 40 seconds ahead of nearest rival Tommy Marshall’s combined total time of 1:05:21.

Marshall’s time saw him top the male 16 to 19 age category, finishing comfortably clear of Nico Davis, who crossed the line in 1:21:37 for 41st overall and Jauza James, who finished in 1:22:15 for 45th overall.

Phillip Mace completed the overall top three places, crossing the line in 1:06:43. His time also proved enough to see him top the male 40 to 49 category ahead of Alan Potts in 1:08:05 and Kris Hedges shortly behind in 1:08: 57.

Durkin crossed the finish line in a combined time of 1:08:30 to finish sixth in the overall standings and top female finisher, more than a minute ahead of nearest divisional rival Ashley Couper, who completed the course in 1:09:28, finishing ninth overall. Marie Doe finished narrowly behind in 1:09:55 for tenth overall and completed the top three female places.

There was also an impressive display from Will Green, whose total time of 1:10:45, proved good enough for a respectable twelfth-place finish overall and to see him top the Male 20 to 29 age category. Richard Quinn was second in the division with a combined time of 1:12:58, with Devin Appel third in 1:37:13.

In the Male 30 to 39 age category, Byron Rencken, fourth in the overall standings, topped the division in 1:07:41. Jonathan Herring, who finished in eleventh place overall, was second in the category after clocking 1:10:09, with Brian Steinhoff completing the top three places in a combined time of 1:11:15.

A solid performance from Richard Bruton saw him top the male 50 to 59 age category. His combined time of 1:13:42 left him comfortably ahead of divisional rivals Alec Shepherd in 1:16:07 and Dirk Hasselkuss in 1:16:23.

Kent Richardson topped the male 60 and over standings, crossing the line in a highly respectable 1:14:10, more than 12 minutes clear of Steven Petty in 1:27:17 and Christopher Jones in 1:30:17.

Liana Madeiros, who finished in 53rd overall in a time of 1:25:28, was the sole competitor within the female 16 to 19 age category, while Emily Sambrook-Smith, who crossed the line in 1:20:21 for 35th overall, was the only competitor within the female 20 to 29 category.

Meanwhile, Dore, who clinched a top-ten finish in the overall standings, proved the fastest competitor in the female 30 to 39 category, ahead of Nicole Mitchell, who crossed the line in 1:15:20 for 22nd overall, with Christine Daily third in the division in 1:16:53 for 27th place overall.

There was also divisional victory for Couper in the female 40 to 49 category, ahead of Rebecca Shepherd, who clocked 1:20:17 and Jenifer Wilson who crossed the line 1:20:46.

Karen Smith was the top finisher in the female 50 to 59 division, finishing in 1:11:34, comfortably ahead of Sharon Hammond’s combined time of 1:19:23, with Elizabeth Stewart wrapping up the top three in 1:23:18.

Maria Duffy proved the standout performer in the female 60 and over category, clocking the fastest time of 1:29:32, five minutes ahead of Sharon Craig’s 1:34:33, with Carolyn Conway clocking 1:42:50.