The father and brother of tragic triathlete Paul Gallihawk will forever remember a “boring” football match, which was the last time they were all together.

Paul bought tickets to see their team Tottenham Hotspur take on Stoke City at White Hart Lane on Saturday, August 15 to celebrate brother Nick’s 36th birthday.

When it was 2-2 at full-time, dad Malcolm complained it had been a boring match but today father and son remember the 90 minutes fondly.

Nick said: “We cherish it now because it was the last time we spent together.”

Malcolm added: “Unfortunately, they both inherited Tottenham from me. If we could have called this house White Hart Lane we would.”

Sport was a big part of Paul’s life and he played football for Leeds and Broomfield Primary School and Lenham Wanderers before setting up his own team, Whitehawks FC, two years ago.

He was starting to focus on management and had previously coached Lenham’s under 15s.

The Ocean Lake event was his first triathlon but Paul, who lived with his girlfriend Hayley Wright in Tovil, had completed other charity events including half marathons.

Mum Linda said: “He was always at the gym or cycling. He was always looking for the next thing to do, he liked a challenge.”

Travel was another hobby, and Nick remembers fondly three weeks they spent in Australia 10 years ago.

He said: “We went to Perth first as we have family there, then Ayers Rock, the Great Barrier Reef and we finished in Sydney. Looking back, just hanging around with my brother in Australia was amazing.”

Paul also visited Thailand and was looking forward to exploring Florida with his girlfriend later this month.

Linda said her son “wanted to do and see as much as he could”.

But, speaking of the fateful day itself, Linda revealed it was the family, not triathlon organisers, who raised the alarm that her son had not emerged from the lake.

She was watching the race at Leybourne Lakes in Larkfield with Paul’s dad Malcolm and her son’s girlfriend Hayley Wright.

She said: “There were a few stragglers coming back.

The safety boats had been out there but they thought that was it, they were saying ‘that’s everyone’ but we realised Paul hadn’t come back. We said to them ‘no, there’s someone else’ and it went from there.”

Linda said her son’s lone bike, standing ready for the next leg of the triathlon, proved he was missing.

She continued: “They hoped he had swum to the edge and climbed out.

They started searching. The club’s divers immediately put on their suits and got in but when the police arrived with Kent Search and Rescue (KSAR) they took over.”

His family faced an agonising three-day wait before Paul’s body was discovered on Bank Holiday Monday morning but despite his death, the family are reluctant to criticise triathlon organisers.

Malcolm said: “They had kayaks everywhere. A few swimmers had kayaks next to them and they pulled two people out. The organisers were shocked. Nothing like that has ever happened at one of their events before.”

Alan Davis from Ocean Lake Triathlon said there were seven canoes and a two-crew safety boat on the water – the British Triathlon Federation specifies four canoes and a boat are needed for an event that size.

He said organisers noticed Paul’s bike at “more or less” the same time Linda was telling their colleague her son was missing.

Mr Davis, who said they were assisting the Health and Safety Executive, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council and police with their investigations, added: “The whole triathlon community is still deeply saddened by this tragic accident.”

Paul went to Swadelands School, Lenham, then studied computing at MidKent College’s former Horsted Centre in Chatham, before embarking on a career in recruitment.

Speaking about her son’s plans for the future, Linda said: “He just wanted to do well in his career. He was happy where he was working and he was really happy with Hayley, she’s a lovely girl.”

Malcolm, Linda and Nick wished to thank family and friends who have offered support, emergency services who searched for Paul and everyone who has donated through his JustGiving page.

Paul Gallihawk’s funeral will be held at St Nicholas’ Church, Leeds, at 1pm on Wednesday, September 16.