Ashleigh Gentle back on top in Singapore

Ashleigh Gentle returned to the top of the PTO Open podium with one of the most commanding performances of her career in Singapore.

The Australian, who had won both PTO Tour events in 2022, but finished second in both Ibiza and Milwaukee this year, took the lead midway through the bike leg and cruised to tape head of Germany’s Anne Haug and reigning Ironman world champion Chelsea Sodaro.

Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay was returning from injury and held on resiliently for fifth, with GB’s other contender Fenella Langridge in 14th.

It meant another $100k cheque for Gentle to take her total PTO remuneration to more than $500k and make the No 1-ranked athlete currently the biggest prize-money earner in the sport.

Haug’s chances of victory were derailed when tape from her own bike became entangled in her rear wheel towards the end of the bike leg, costing her valuable minutes – and potentially victory – as she rectified the issue.

It meant Gentle reversed the one-two finish with Haug in Ibiza, while Sodaro returned to form after a challenging 2023 to date to move through the field with the fastest run leg.

Charles-Barclay’s performance was additionally impressive after revealing early in the week that she had been recovering from a broken foot, with a metatarsal fracture following Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau in May.

What happened in the swim?

In a rare sight in professional triathlon, Charles-Barclay wasn’t the first competitor into T1 as Spain’s former Olympic swimmer Sara Perez Sala led out the 2km swim.

Charles-Barclay, who had led to the Aussie exit at the halfway point – where the athletes climbed on to a pontoon before diving in again – was content to follow in the 35-year-old’s wake as they opened a gap on the rest of the field.

In water temperatures approaching a balmy 29 degrees celsius in Marina Bay, New Zealand’s Rebecca Clarke was third onto the bike at 54sec behind.

Clarke was followed by a pack of eight athletes at 1:46 back on the leading pair, including Gentle, Langridge and Sodaro. Haug was a further 45sec adrift.

What happened on the bike?

It was quickly evident that the eight-lap 80km course in Singapore was going to be a tough test, with out-and-back steep climbs over the Benjamin Sheares Bridge, the longest in the city, on each lap.

With the smaller field size of just 20 athletes and a 20m draft zone in place, there was no respite for the triathletes in hot and humid conditions of almost 30 degrees.

While Perez-Sala and Charles-Barclay retained the lead for the first-half of the bike, behind the duo the decisive moves were being made by pre-race favourites Gentle and Haug, with Switzerland’s Imogen Simmonds also in contention.

Gentle powered into the lead just before the halfway mark. The 32-year-old has chosen not to take part in the Ironman 70.3 world champs in Finland next weekend and after four months on the road was taking on her last international race before returning home to Australia.

Behind Gentle, Haug was also flying and had moved up to second before her progress was halted as a piece of tape – she later said was part of her spare tyre – came loose and became wound around her rear cassette delaying the German for around 2min as she stopped to untangle it.

Gentle clocked the fastest bike split to reach T2 first, followed by Switzerland’s Simmonds, Charles-Barclay and Sala, with Haug – having regained her impetus following the bike issue – having 2:33 to make up on the leader.

What happened on the run?

With the fastest transition from bike to run, Gentle signalled her intention from the outset and started the three-lap 18km final leg as the fastest on course.

The chasing Haug lost around 30sec over the first 6km lap to Gentle, but was cutting back the time to Charles-Barclay and Simmonds and with just under 10km remaining she moved into second place.

Haug began to pick up speed to make a late charge, but so too did Sodaro, who also moved into a podium position with little to choose between the pace of the leading three and the gaps too large to close

Gentle held her form to the finish to take her third PTO Tour win with a 1:07:26 run to take the tape in 3:41:16, just over 2min ahead of Haug, with Sodaro flying through for third almost 5min back Simmonds, who was brought up in Hong Kong in fourth, and Charles-Barclay in fifth.

PTO Asian Open 2023 Top 10 women’s results

1. Ashleigh Gentle
2. Anne Haug
3. Chelsea Sodaro
4. Imogen Simmonds
5. Lucy Charles-Barclay
6. Amelia Watkinson
7. Sara Perez Sala
8. Radka Kahlefedlt
9. Sarah True
10. Jocelyn McCauley

Top image credit: PTO