Photos: T100Triathlon.com
By Kent Gray/Triathlon.kiwi
Tenacity will be a defining metric for success during the inaugural T100 Triathlon World Tour season and on that score, count on Amelia Watkinson popping up again and again with results seemingly out of nowhere.
The Sunshine Coast-based Kiwi, arguably Oceania’s most under-rated mid-long distance triathlete, fought back from 16th out of the water during Saturday’s sweltering T100 Singapore to bike and run her way to an impressive 4th.
It was yet another example of the 32-year-old’s consistency at the pointy end of global endurance racing where only twice in the past decade she has finished outside the top 10 in any of her 55 starts – at the 2014 Challenge Bahrain (11th) and the 2023 PTO European Open (16th) in Ibiza. Yet, despite 19 victories and a remarkable total of 36 medals worldwide in that time, Watkinson somehow floats into most races under the radar.
After Singapore, a little more global deference, from the media and fans at least, might be forthcoming.
Watkinson’s 1:12:13 for the 18km run around the Marina Bay foreshore was bettered only by Aussie Ashleigh Gentle who underscored her reputation as the Queen of 100km racing with a 1:09:10 split to win from Brit Lucy Charles-Barclay and Dutchwoman Els Visser.
RELATED: Gentle’s statement Singapore win
“My best result in a world class event to date, so have to be pleased with that,” Watkinson wrote on social media.
A chat with the T100Triathon.com media team afterwards revealed more.
“Oh, [a] pretty mixed bag,” the Kiwi said of her day.
“There’s at least a group of us, that I think we had a fairly decent deficit out of the swim, but a lot of us were decent runners and bikers so on this race in particular the heat can really get you and I guess we all counted on that.
“I didn’t have the bike I was expecting but same thing, you’ve just got to keep on pushing right through.”
Even though she made the run look easy, it was anything but.
“I think I grabbed a bottle at every single aid station, tipped that over me and just kept on pushing on the run. I think I actually faded a little about halfway, took a few walking steps in the aid stations just to keep myself cool because if you don’t do that I think it bites you.”
Watkinson figured a “another jolly good [training] block in Queensland’s heat chamber” would hold her in good stead in Singapore. But it felt much hotter than the reported 34.3 degree C race time air temp and 30.9 water temp out on the course.
“Last year I actually did a block in Asia before this race [6th], this year I didn’t do that. I live on the Sunshine Coast and it’s pretty humid there but I think today we got quite a hot day and I definitely felt it.
“But I’m happy with 4th, that’s my best result at any one of these PTO events.”
A good pointer at things to come this season?
“Yeah, I think so. I mean it’s kind of been a different sort of build [into Singapore] so big back end of the year…yeah, excited.”
Singapore T100 – Saturday, April 13 2024
2km / 80km / 18km
PRO WOMEN
1. Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) – 3:44:23 [27:41/2:05:26/1:09:10]
2. Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) – 3:45:58 [26:03/2:01:18/1:16:18]
3. Els Visser (NED) – 3:51:38 [30:02/2:02:37/1:16:32]
4. Amelia Watkinson (NZL) – 3:52:03 [30:04/2:07:24/1:12:13]
5. Lucy Buckingham (GBR) – 3:52:10 [26:07/2:01:39/1:22:06]
Full results
Series standings after Singapore:
