SINGAPORE – Racing in her first triathlon of 2024, all Ashleigh Gentle wanted to do on April 13 was to get to the finish line of the Singapore T100 pro women’s race.
After completing her 2km swim and 80km bike segments, the 33-year-old Australian was fourth and trailed Britain’s reigning Ironman world champion Lucy Charles-Barclay by 5min 33sec.
But with a blistering final 18km run averaging 3min 47sec per km, Gentle overtook her rivals one by one, eventually passing Charles-Barclay with 4.1km left to claim her first T100 title of 2024.
Gentle, who bagged the winner’s cheque of US$25,000 (S$34,000), told The Sunday Times: “It feels a bit surreal. It’s probably not how I thought I’ll start the year, but I was able to do a race that surprised me a little bit. I’m very happy.”
Gentle, who missed out on the first stop of the T100 season in Miami due to the travelling distance and a conflicting training schedule, clocked 3hr 44min 23sec, 1:35 ahead of Charles-Barclay (3:45:58) while the Netherlands’ Els Visser (3:51:38) came third in a 20-strong field that saw three competitors failing to finish.
While Gentle had also won the race in Singapore in 2023, when it was known as the Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) Asian Open, she said her latest win was far from straightforward.
Then, she had six races under her belt including in the United States, Andorra and Switzerland. She had won the PTO Asian Open in 3:41:16, more than three minutes quicker than 2024’s timing.
“Last year, I was super race-fit. I was coming down from altitude with a lot of races under my belt and I felt really comfortable and strong,” said the PTO world No. 2.
“This year was so hard because it was my first race. It’s the same result, but the feelings to get this result were so different. It’s just one of those things that athletes got to persevere through no matter what circumstances you’re dealt with.”
Like in 2023, Gentle was among the chasing pack after the 2km swim, behind leader and PTO world No. 3 Charles-Barclay.
From sixth place, she clawed her way back to fourth after the 80km bike section which she described as “depressing and too much to overcome”. Gentle then passed Visser after lap 1 and caught Lucy Buckingham, who came fifth, after lap 2. She overtook Charles-Barclay on the final lap.
She added: “I didn’t think it was possible (to catch Charles-Barclay) until I saw her. Most of the time during the run, I just wanted it to be over. I guess I found my flow and was able to claw back more time than I thought I’d be able to.”
Charles-Barclay, who also came second in Miami’s season-opener and now leads the overall T100 standings, said: “I felt pretty strong throughout and it was a better performance than Miami, so I feel like everything is stepping in the right direction. This is probably the hardest race on the tour, so it’s nice to get it out of the way.
“It was hot out there and while we had some cloud cover during the run, it’s still brutal. The humidity is the killer really.”
Among those who succumbed to the 34 deg C heat and humidity was Briton India Lee, who retired during the run after struggling with illness following her Miami T100 victory. American Chelsea Sodaro and France’s Marjolaine Pierre also did not finish.
For Gentle, celebrations will have to wait, though, as she cheers on her husband, Josh Amberger, in the men’s pro race on April 14.
She added: “I‘m gonna go to bed early tonight because my husband is racing tomorrow. And then I will celebrate with all the athletes on Sunday night.”
