In the unforgiving Singapore heat and humidity, defending champion Ashleigh Gentle conquered not just the heat, but also any self doubts, to come from behind on the run and win an epic T100 battle with Lucy Charles-Barclay.
Ashleigh dug very deep in the latter stages of the 100km race to wipe out a 5 minute 33 second deficit coming out of T2 to beat Lucy as well as surprise podium finisher Els Visser.
How The Race Unfolded:
Even in sweltering conditions, there was no surprise to see Charles-Barclay quickly take to the front in Marina Bay. As in the Miami T100, it was Lucy Buckingham on her feet while Rebecca Clarke rounded out the three-woman group. That trio pushed ahead to create a lead of 1:07 out of the water after the 2km swim.
On the 80km bike course, it was the British pairing of Charles-Barclay and Buckingham who put the hammer down. Gentle soon moved through to third with the gap standing at around 2:45 by halfway. Meanwhile, 2022 Ironman world champion Chelsea Sodaro, who finished third in Singapore last year, was forced to retire from the race.
With just under 30km to go, Miami T100 Champion India Lee put in a surge to overtake Gentle and move into third, with T100 debutant Imogen Simmonds and Lucy Byram – who was sixth in Miami – close by. While Lee subsequently slowed her pace, losing 30 seconds to the group, there were problems up front for Buckingham as she appeared to cramp in the stifling heat with 18km to go, allowing Charles-Barclay to retake the lead.
Meanwhile, Visser was the big mover up the leaderboard, with the Dutchwoman powering inexorably through the field to move past 11 athletes and claim third during the final lap. Despite this showing, Charles-Barclay entered T2 just ahead of Buckingham but with 5:03 to Visser and in the box seat for her first T100 title.
Gentle was just a little further back with 5:33 to make up as she headed out onto the run. The Australian made short work of getting herself back into the podium position by overtaking Visser and her charge didn’t stop there. While Charles-Barclay was running well, Gentle was moving with stunning rapidity in spite of increasing temperatures and rising humidity.
After 8km, the Australian had slashed her deficit to overtake Buckingham and move into second. Continuing to chase Charles-Barclay, Gentle nudged the gap to 1:01 going into the final 6km lap. From there, it was a nail biting competition as Gentle hunted Charles-Barclay, finally making a decisive surge to pass her with 4km to take the lead for the first time in the race.
Meanwhile, Visser continued her hard work in the fight for a podium finish to pull past Buckingham into third, but she was still close to 4 minutes behind Charles-Barclay,
Elated and exhausted, Gentle crossed the line in 3:44:23 to take a powerful victory that will surely send a message to the other T100 athletes. The Australian secured a USD$25,000 (S$34,027) paycheck and the maximum 35 points to start her 2024 T100 Triathlon World Tour season.
Charles-Barclay followed her 2nd place in the Miami T100 with another 2nd place, taking US$16,000 and 28 points to take her series tally to 56 and put her at the top of the T100 standings.
Visser was the dark horse wildcard, completing the podium in style, earning US$12,000, 25 points and plenty of new fans.
In the closing stages, New Zealand’s Amelia Watkinson showed that consistency prevails, overtaking Buckingham near the finish to clinch fourth, with Buckingham rounding out the top five.
Singapore T100 Women’s Pro Race Standings:
1. Ashleigh Gentle – 3:44:23
2. Lucy Charles-Barclay – 3:45:58
3. Els Visser – 3:51:38
4. Amelia Watkinson – 3:52:03
5. Lucy Buckingham – 3:52:10