Ironman athletes gave a burglar more than he bargained for when he tried to rob a diamond bracelet.

Stephen Ralph said that the guy that tried to steal the €1,000 piece “picked the wrong shop to rob”. Stephen is currently training for the Dublin Marathon, while his colleague in Baldwin’s jewellers in Dundalk Co. Louth, Bryan McCrystal is the current Irish triathlon champion who competes professionally around the world.

The thief went into the shop under the guise of being a genuine customer Mr Ralph said the man had “seemed 100pc genuine, he knew he wanted a bracelet and he had a good look” at what was on display. “He lifted this full bracelet, looked me in the eye and said, ‘thank you’, and ran out the door. He had a hard neck.”

But Mr Ralph made a bolt for the door after him and grabbed the back wheel of the culprit’s bicycle, so he couldn’t pedal away. Mr McCrystal had been serving another customer and ran out afterwards. “I asked him what the man had taken and saw him running up the street. I, instinctively, ran after him and caught him at the corner. “I grabbed him by his coat, it was a big overcoat and told him to hand it over ”” and he did.”

Staff had already rung the gardai and they arrived on the scene within minutes and arrested the suspect.