Aimee Backhouse, 15, is head girl at St George's RC High School in Walkden, which has been earmarked for closure by Salford council.
The triathlete finished second overall in the sprint triathlon race.
Her podium appearance after completing the 750m swim, 20km bike ride and 5km run in just 68 minutes ensured maximum publicity for her `Save Our School' campaign as her t-shirt read: `Salford Council Don't Close St George's'.
Aimee said: "I was racing to save my school. It's such a good school - it is really unfair to close it down.
"I tried to use the success of the triathlon to highlight what I see as a failure of the council in their decision to shut the school."
St George's headteacher Philip Harte said he was incredibly proud of Aimee.
He said Aimee's t-shirt would serve as a further embarrassment to the council.
Salford council leader John Merry said: "The triathlon was a great success and it seems a great shame to make it political in this way. But we certainly don't regard closing St George's as a failure." Tweet
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Well done Aimee! Salford's reorganisation of high schools has been a farce since the start. First 3 schools were planned to be rebuilt as part of PFI then they made it 2 because they got the sums wrong. They plan to move an improving school (Hope) to a total innapropriate site on the quays and turn it into an academy. The proposed merger of 2 high schools into one and the closure of one of their best performing schools against the wishes of the diocese. The list goes on, and they are now working on the reorganistion of primary schools....
We spend millions educating people all over the world and yet we close our schools our kids want their school so much they have to resort to doing things like this triathlon and charity walks etc.CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME ANYTHING LEFT WE CAN HELP OTHERS .Well done girl.
Tony Blair said "education education education" which is presumably why Labour are closing one of the best schools. The school should opt out of local education authority control.