A MATHS teacher from Droitwich Spa is preparing to test herself against the best at the World Duathlon Championships in her first season in the sport.

Celia Brown, aged 27, has been selected to represent Great Britain at the event in Geel, Belgium, on May 31.

Celia, who combines ten training sessions a week with her teaching job in Halesowen, will compete in the 25-29 age group, running 10km, cycling 40km and then running another 5km. And she hopes the course will take her two hours.

A former 400m hurdler for England, Celia qualified for the championships by finishing seventh in the Cambridge Duathlon last month and is aiming for a top ten place in Belgium.

She also beat 200 women last Sunday to win the Stratford 220 Triathlon in a time of 67 minutes 55 seconds for a 400m swim, 23km cycle and 5km run.

Celia, a member of Birmingham Running and Triathlon Club (BRAT), said: "I am really pleased. I knew I could do it and it was just the case of coming out on the day and having a good race. I am hoping I can do a lot better in Belgium."

Although she plans to concentrate on cycling, she would like to take Duathlon to higher levels.

"I spent a year in Melbourne and would love to go back there for the Commonwealth Games in 2006," Celia added. She is also looking for sponsorship. Anyone interested can call her on 07813 815762.