LANGKAWI — An Australian couple emerged victorious in the men’s and women’s categories of the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships in Langkawi today.
The couple subsequently went on to bag their spots in the World Championships to be held in New Zealand in December 2024.
While 34-year-old Josh Amberger came out triumphant in the men’s category by clocking 3h 50m 47s, his 32-year-old wife, Ashleigh Gentle completed her challenge in 4h 10m 17s.
A total of 19 professional men and nine professional women triathletes were flagged off at Pantai Kok at 7.05 am today to compete in the event, which comprised swimming (1.9km), cycling (90km) and running (21.1km).
Amberger revealed that this was his second win in the Asia Pacific Championships, having done so in the same meet in Cannes, France in 2017.
“It’s an amazing feeling to win the Asia Pacific in Langkawi after I won the 2017 Ironman at Cannes and (becoming) the first person to win two titles.
“The race was very tactical. I led out the swim with a large group. It was a very fast corner, so I went easy for a little bit and didn’t take the lead until the 11th or 12th km of the run, and I felt good running until the win,” he told reporters here today.
Mike Philips (3:52:23s) and Kurt McDonald (3:54:33s) made it a clean sweep by Australian men’s triathletes.
Meanwhile, Ashleigh, who is competing in Malaysia for the first time, said she was happy and did not expect to win the women’s category, especially when she was stung by jellyfish early in the race during the swimming discipline.
“It happened super early. Not even on my first loop, I feel I was stung by the jellyfish… my arms and legs felt a tingle, but it was okay, I had fun because there was nothing I could really do about that.
“But, the highlight for me was seeing my husband win. He did an amazing job and helped me so much with my career, so watching him succeed made me happy,” she said.
In the professional women’s category, Australia’s Amelia Watkinson (4:16:05s) came in second while Lottie Lucas of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was third in 4:20:59.
The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s categories have automatically qualified for the World Ironman Championships to be held in New Zealand on December 14-15, 2024. — October 7, 2023
