Reporter and triathlete Emma-Kate Lidbury has switched to part-time reporting as she bids for World Championship glory.

The 27-year-old, who only took up triathlons to write a feature for the Oxford Mail, has just returned from a winter training trip to Noosa, on the east coast of Australia.

Having successfully secured financial backing in the UK, Emma-Kate is now preparing to face the best triathletes on the planet during the coming year.

She told holdthefrontpage "I knew that in order to train the way I would like to, returning to the Oxford Mail full time was going to be out of the question.

"Luckily for me the editor Simon O'Neill is a very understanding, sports-minded chap who has allowed me to return to the newsroom part-time.

"Now I'm a semi-journo, semi-athlete, balancing the notepad with the swim-bike-run.

"I've got an exciting season lined up, racing the European Championships in Lisbon, in May, and the World Championships in Vancouver, in June, as well as plenty of domestic races throughout the summer.

"I'm also keen to make sure the journalist in me doesn't fade away, though, so will still be seeking out stories."

Understandably, returning from Down Under has proved a shock to the system after leaving the summer sun to be faced with 2C when she landed at Heathrow.

Emma-Kate added: "My first swim training session back at the pool here saw me scraping ice off the car whereas I'd been putting on factor 50 sun block just to stop myself from frying. A crazy transition!

"Australia was utterly brilliant, though, and a fantastic place to train but one of my main reasons for returning was to finalise some sponsorship deals which I'd set up back here."

Emma-Kate has managed to secure financial backing from a Swindon-based accountants and Savills Estate Agents, in Oxford.

Perhaps most-importantly though is her deal with Wiggle – an online retailer of triathlon equipment for which Emma-Kate will be competing throughout 2008.

To follow Emma-Kate's progress visit her online blog.

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