Lena Poulton stood proudly on the podium at the European Sprint Triathlon Championships in Geneva on Friday after picking up a bronze medal.

Competing in the 40-44 age group in the Swiss capital, the Hazlemere resident, who works part-time as a GP, finished behind fellow Team GB members Gwen Kinsey and Tanya Brightwell, who came in first and second respectively.

Picking up a medal at the championships capped a remarkable journey for the 41-year-old who only began entering triathlons less than two years ago.

She said: “I’ve got a swimming back ground, I train with Wycombe District Swimming Club, I’m one of their masters and I started running about three or four years ago with some friends.

“We did a few races and I won the Marlow FM 10k last year, and then I sort of put everything together, tried out the triathlon and it all took off from there.”

A second place finish at the British Triathlon Championships in St Neots back in May had qualified Poulton to travel to Switzerland, and the women who beat her that day, Brightwell, pipped her to second place by one minute.

The mum of three completed the course, which was made up of a 750m swim, a 5km run and a 20.4km bike ride, in a time of one hour 16 minutes and 45 seconds.

“The atmosphere was just fantastic, a really good GB team atmosphere and all the other teams were very friendly,” said Poulton.

“The elite triathletes raced as well, on Saturday and Sunday, so they were all mingling around with all the age group people.

“It was a great experience and it’s a souvenir and memento that I’m going to cherish for a long time to come.”

Finding time to train in her busy schedule, which includes working at Chiltern House Medical Centre, is the main hurdle which Poulton has had to overcome.

She explained: “My boys swim at Wycombe as well and they train early mornings, so we go training before my work and I tend to train at the same time as them.

“Sometimes I fit it in between home visits and picking up the children and go for a run, so it’s just about trying to find the odd half hour or hour you’ve got.”

Poulton, by virtue of her previous performances, has qualified for the Triathlon World Championships – and she says she “hoping” to travel to Chicago ready for the off on September 15.