Olympic and world championship campaigns loom for BE13

Jul 22, 2019

Bahrain Endurance 13 athletes continued their Olympic qualification and world championship campaign this weekend at the World Triathlon Series race in Edmonton. Ashleigh Gentle claimed the bronze medal in a three-woman sprint finish, mere seconds behind fellow Australian Emma Jackson and Summer Rapaport of the USA.

Gentle has been steadily working to return to racing form and is delighted with her result. “I think I’ve still got some improvement to come to put together a full, complete race but I am over the moon with the podium today,” she said.

She is now looking forward to the test event for the Tokyo Olympic Games in three weeks’ time. “For me personally, whatever happens with the result, I just want to make sure I’m there to suss out the course and see how it is, because if I make that Tokyo team, I’ll make sure I’ve raced on it before.”

Vincent Luis still leads the men’s points race for the world title despite a fifth-place finish. The Frenchman said, “I just had not enough in the bank after the swim and I just suffered the whole ride trying to hurt the guys. The run was just surviving. Fifth is not too bad, on to the Grand Final.”

Ben Kanute finished in 7th after breaking away in the lead group with Luis, while Javier Gomez crashed out of the race 200 meters from the bike-to-run transition. 

While Gomez drops down to third in the points race due to the DNF, he is still knocking on the door to take a record sixth world title at the Grand Final in Lausanne at the end of August, the week after which he will attempt to back up and also win the Ironman 70.3 world title. He has already achieved this double in 2014.

However, he will have to get past Luis, who has won the last two Grand Final races in Rotterdam and the Gold Coast and is known to turn in the big performances when they count. 

While Gentle and Gomez will be racing the Tokyo test event, Luis has opted to skip it to focus on the Grand Final. Kanute will also be present for the mixed relay, while paratriathlete Lauren Parker will be racing the WPS World Cup event held in tandem with the test event.

This coming weekend, Holly Lawrence seeks to extend her win streak yet again as she suits up for Ironman 70.3 Santa Rosa.

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Oct 20, 2025

The Bahrain Victorious 13 captured an impressive medal haul at the World Triathlon Championships in Wollongong, Australia this weekend.

Lauren Parker led the campaign, winning two medals including her fifth paratriathlon world title.

The paratriathlon races opened the elite competition on Saturday, where Parker once again proved untouchable. She led from the front, exiting the 750-metre swim first, hammering the 20-kilometre handbike leg with the day’s fastest split, and then powering through the 5-kilometre wheelchair run to cross the line 70 seconds clear of her nearest rival.

Unbeaten all year, Parker’s home victory carried extra meaning as she reclaimed the crown she relinquished last season.

“Everyone was so supportive out there and it definitely made me push a little bit harder,” Parker said post-race. “I wanted to get back on top again and I really worked hard for this one and I’m just happy to get it done.”

She also revealed her next sporting ambition: to qualify for the Winter Paralympic Games, with ongoing training in cross-country skiing and biathlon.

On Sunday, Parker added to her tally with a silver medal in the Para Mixed Relay World Championships, helping the Australian team to a podium finish.

In the men’s elite race, Vasco Vilaça placed fifth to secure the overall World Triathlon Championship Series bronze medal, returning to the world podium for the first time since earning silver at the one-day championship in Hamburg in 2020.

Emma Lombardi also delivered a standout performance, claiming bronze in the women’s race – her best finish of the season – and vaulting seven places to 11th overall in the Series standings. She swam into the pointy end on the 1.5-kilometre swim alongside compatriot Cassandre Beaugrand, then attacked on the 40-kilometre bike to lead onto the 10-kilometre run where she battled against the eventual winner and series champion Lisa Tertsch and a hard-charging Bianca Seregni to hold onto the final spot on the podium.

Beaugrand, who had stayed in the lead pack throughout the swim and bike, was forced to withdraw on the run to conclude her season ranked seventh overall.

The results in Wollongong wrap up the Bahrain Victorious 13’s short course season. The team now turns its attention to middle distance racing with the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Marbella, Spain and Ironman 70.3 Bahrain on the horizon, as well as the T100 Tour’s final two stops in Dubai and Qatar.

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Oct 13, 2025

Kat Matthews led the charge for the Bahrain Victorious 13 on Saturday, taking her third IRONMAN World Championship silver medal at the historic final all-women’s race in Kona, Hawaii. The British star also set a new run course record on the way to her first-ever...

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