Tokyo 2020 campaigns start this weekend

Feb 20, 2019

Bahrain Endurance 13’s Tokyo 2020 hopefuls kick off their season this weekend in the Asia-Pacific region with races in Singapore and in Australia.

Ashleigh Gentle, Ben Kanute, and Vincent Luis are set to race the Grand Final of the Super League Triathlon series in Singapore on Saturday and Sunday. They will be racing for a part of the total prize purse of USD $1.5 million amid fierce competition from the world’s best athletes over formats and courses that will push them to their limits.

Gentle, who missed the previous two SLT races in Malta and Mallorca, will be looking to improve her current 14th place ranking and secure a guaranteed contract for next season. Kanute’s last race in Mallorca did not end well as he sustained an injury that prematurely ended his 2018 racing season. He will seek retribution in Singapore. Luis is currently the men’s series leader having secured overall wins in Jersey, Malta, and Mallorca. In his debut race as a member of the Bahrain Endurance 13, Luis will aim to lock down the top spot and lift the championship trophy high.

Lauren Parker is racing the Newcastle ITU Paratriathlon Oceania Championships on Sunday. It is a race she has deep ties to: not only did she help design the course for what will be the first paratriathlon event to be held in Newcastle and the Hunter Region, but it is also held in conjunction with the Sparke Helmore Newcastle City Triathlon, an event she had raced a number of times as an able-bodied triathlete.

Parker adds, “The Oceania Championships are also very significant for me. It was at last year’s edition of the event held in St. Kilda where I had my first taste of paratriathlon racing, finishing second and securing my place on the Australian team to compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

“I’ve come a long way since this debut race and hopefully I can set myself up for another successful season with a good performance in Newcastle.”

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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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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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