Reigning Men's triathlon Olympic champion Blummenfelt shakes off jet lag to triumph in the Men’s Pro Race, while it was third time lucky for Gentle in 2023
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
Singapore, 21 August 2023 – Fresh off the Olympic Test Event in Paris two days ago, reigning triathlon Olympic champion Kristian Blummenfelt shook off jet lag and a ninth-place finish to triumph in the Men’s Pro Race at the inaugural Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) Asian Open on Sunday (20 Aug).
Blummenfelt had been trailing Pieter Heemeryck for the entire 80km bike leg but he powered through the run to pass the Belgian nearly halfway through the 18km run. From there, Blummenfelt made no mistake and finally clinched the elusive first PTO Tour title as he crossed the finish line in 3hr 20min 48sec. Heemeryck was second in 3:22:47 followed by American Jason West (3:24:03).
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
A jubilant Blummenfelt released a celebratory shout and pumped his fist in the air after completing the 100km course before settling down on the floor to take in the view at the finish line, reflecting on finally earning a PTO Tour win after three years.
The PTO World No. 1 said: “I’m very happy and relieved. It’s something I’ve been chasing for three years now and to finally be able to take this is a massive relief. It’s been a long time coming since the PTO 2020 Championship in Daytona and I really wanted to win a PTO race. Two weeks ago at the PTO US Open, 60km into the bike leg, I thought I had it in my pocket but it sort of slipped out when I cramped coming off the bike so you can’t really celebrate too early. When I finally sort of knew I have a PTO Tour win, it’s what I felt I’ve been missing.”
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
Heemeryck was surprised to have led the bike course from Blummenfelt and was pleased to finish second despite the win slipping from his grasp at the end.
He said: “I have to be honest, I never thought that I was going to ride away from this field. So it was a little bit surprising. When I saw Kristian running and I knew he's going to get me but I have to be very patient because at the end, you want to be on the podium here. When I saw Jason, I really thought that he was going to get me also. But at the end, I finished with a strong run. It was a hot and hard race, but a fun one. The laps on the bike were beautiful and coming into the transition area, there were a lot of people supporting the race. At the end, I had a good day.”
The top five men are as follows:
1. Kristian Blummenfelt – 3hr 20 min 48 sec
2. Pieter Heemeryck – 3hr 22 min 47 sec
3. Jason West – 3hr 24 min 03 sec
4. Denis Chevrot – 3hr 29 min
5. Sam Long – 3hr 29 min 11 sec
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
Ashleigh Gentle clinches Women's Title with Commanding Performance
After two consecutive runner-up finishes on the 2023 Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) Tour, the third time was the charm for Australian Ashleigh Gentle who blew her competition out of the water and win the inaugural PTO Asian Open on Saturday (19 Aug).
The PTO world No. 1 finished the 100km Pro Women’s triathlon in 3hr 41min 16sec, ahead of Germany’s Anne Haug (3:43:32) and American Chelsea Sodaro (3:46:10) at the Marina Bay course.
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
It was third time lucky for Gentle who, after winning both PTO titles in 2022, had to settle for second place at the 2023 PTO European Open in May and the US Open earlier this month.
She said: “It feels very, very good. I’ve had a couple of second places this year so it’s pretty much a dream way to end my season. There was a big group of us in the swim that were swimming at a similar pace. But once I got out of the swim, I kind of accelerated and had a really good transition, so I found myself at the front very quickly. I realised that no one came with me on the bike, so it was about focusing on my effort and doing the best that I could myself."
"Fortunately, I was able to catch Lucy and Sara and once I realised that they also didn't come with me, it was just about putting my head down, trying to do consistent laps on the bike and just really focus on my effort then do as best as I could on the run. Today was probably my best race of the year and I’m really happy.”
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
Never looking under pressure, Gentle underlined her PTO World number 1 status, taking the win and $100,000 with a comfortable 2:15sec margin. Haug recovered from her setback in the bike leg to take second and $50,000, while Sodaro clinched third and $35,000.
The top five women are as follows:
1. Ashleigh Gentle – 3hr 41min 16 sec
2. Anne Haug – 3:43:32
3. Chelsea Sodaro – 3:46:10
4. Imogen Simmonds – 3:47:06
5. Lucy Charles-Barclay – 3:48:00
PHOTO: PROFESSIONAL TRIATHLETES ORGANISATION
The PTO Asian Open weekend saw over 6,000 participants in a fun-filled event at the Marina Bay, beginning with two duathlon races in the morning over a standard 4.5km Run/32km Bike/4.5km Run and a longer 9km Run/64km Bike/9km Run. These were followed by the 100km experienced amateur triathlon, which also saw past and present Team Singapore athletes strut their stuff in relay teams led by 2016 Olympic champion Joseph Schooling.
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