Jimmy Lund’s summer nightmare is starting to become a distant memory, and it will virtually be forgotten about if he gets a good result in the World Triathlon Cup this weekend.

And success there would give the Keighley talent a platform to potentially compete on his biggest stage yet, the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Lund is heading to Rome to compete in the World Cup, and he jets off to Italy full of confidence after a superb second place finish at the British Championships in Mallory Park at the end of last month, a result he achieved despite crashing on the bike section of the race.

That was his first big event since returning from an ankle injury, which ruled him out of action for three months.

The 25-year-old said: “It was really good to get out for the British Championships, because I had that three-month running injury straight off the back of competing in Poland (at the Europe Triathlon Cup).

“I was just training but I suffered a nerve problem by my ankle.

“It was a very random injury, one of those that just springs upon you without warning.

“I got back into training around a month before the British Champs, so it ended up being perfect timing to go out there and execute a good result.”

He added: “It was definitely a surprise though, because I didn’t expect to be at that level of fitness just a month after getting back into training.

“It demonstrated that all the work I’d done last winter massively complemented me in the race, as it allowed me to really get stuck in and show I was able to get back in shape really quickly.

“And while the event is part of the British Triathlon Super Series, that’s the last one, so it’s known as the British Champs.

“That means it counts for World Triathlon points, so it’s a bit more important than the rest of them.”

Jimmy Lund knew he could do with a good performance at Mallory Park, and he got it.Jimmy Lund knew he could do with a good performance at Mallory Park, and he got it. (Image: Ben Dijkstra.)

And Rome will be the scene for his biggest race yet in 2024, with Lund saying: “I’m really looking forward to it, as it’s a year since I was there for my last World Cup event.

“I had planned to do a World Cup event earlier this year in Hungary, but then my three month-injury lay-off happened, so I couldn’t go.

“I’m happy too because the field in Rome doesn’t look as strong as it did last year, where I came 20th.

“It comes straight off the back of finishing second at the British Champs too, which is exactly what happened last year, so with the field looking weaker, there’s definitely the potential there for a good result.”

And he has a clear aim in mind, saying: “If I could get a top-10 finish in Rome, then next season would see me put a big focus on me trying to get my ranking as high as possible ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2026.

“Next year will be an important one to get results in, to demonstrate my form to the selectors.”

But Lund warned: “It’s going to be a tough battle to get there, because a lot of Brits are going well in triathlon this season.

“It’s just about me trying to be as consistent as possible and avoiding injuries like the one I’ve had this year.

“If I can get that top-10 at the World Cup event in Rome, it’ll give me that confidence for next season to push on.”