Meet Harrison... A Yonda triathlete and enthusiast

Hello!

My name is Harrison Rolls-King, I am 21 years old from Eastbourne. Originally a county and regional level swimmer, I chose to start competing in triathlon aged 10 when I joined Team Bodyworks, my local performance triathlon club in Eastbourne. Having been in the sport for over a decade, the last 6 years has seen me competing on the British Triathlon National Super Series where I have been honing my skills for ITU style racing domestically. 

In my first year in triathlon I won the 2007 South East Regional Series Tri-Star 1 title. I was a able to replicate winning this title in 2009 in the Tri-Star 2 age group. Winning the series in 2009 meant that I had qualified for my First Inter-Regional Championships in Wales, finishing 17th respectively. In 2014, I became a first year junior and gained a massive amount of experience when I raced in my first ETU Junior Cups in Holten, Holland and Nottingham, UK. In 2015, I had a great year of development and found myself placing top 20 National Series results and even breaking in to the top 15 at the National Junior Elite Championships.

2016 saw me as a final year as a junior and made good progress on the national super series, additionally placing top 5 in the inaugural Eastbourne Triathlon.

Last year, I yet again stepped up an age group! Now an under 23 / senior athlete, I continued to compete on the national series. The highlight of my season was essentially the best till last at Hever Castle Triathlon finishing 8th overall in my second ever Olympic distance race, in what was a very strong elite field. 

 

My racing plans for this season are a little diverse! I will be planning to start off my season at Cardiff Triathlon the British Elite Sprint Triathlon Championships and from there I will take part in the long running Castle Series and other local triathlons. After which my non-drafting part of my season will commence. I have most recently entered my season finale where I will be competing in my first 70.3 distance event at Challenge Peguera-Mallora - the type of racing I will be aiming to do more of over the coming years. 

Alongside my sport, I am a keen Sport Scientist as a final year BSc Sport and Exercise Science with Nutrition undergraduate at the University of Brighton. I am currently in the final stages in completing my dissertation which is often exciting times as I prepare for life after uni. In my spare time I enjoy walking my golden retriever Oscar and baking cakes; I mean, who wouldn’t? I am also partial to the odd mid-week brunch with my uni house mates. 

Why Yonda?

Yonda has designed the Ghost with extremely good flexibility in the upper body. The unique panelling system, developed through the use of the world famous Yamamoto neoprene, has been given careful thought for optimal performance and mobility. As previously mentioned the flexibility of a wetsuit is one of two key factors I look for in a suit, alongside buoyancy. The Ghost allows for full range of motion in both the shoulders and torso with the most limited resistance; really making the transition from the pool to open water swimming that bit more seamless. 

The buoyancy of the Ghost is all down to the panelling system used. By ensuring the thickest panels on the Ghost are situated centrally across the abdomen, glutes and quads; Yonda have created a suit which ensures a downhill swimming position, giving the legs more buoyancy making for a more efficient swim stroke - ideal for both short course and long course racing, perfect for what I currently want out of my kit and my diverse racing program. 

Check out the Yonda website for wetsuit options and to buy your Yonda Ghost - https://yondasports.com/collections/wetsuits

To follow my training and my season of racing please check out my social media:

Twitter: @HRK_Triathlete

Facebook: facebook.com/rollsking 

Instagram: @HRK_Triathlete