Ashleigh Gentle attributed the growth of triathlon in the UK to the Brownlee brothers’ Olympic success in 2012, as she prepares to compete in the T100 London this weekend.
The T100 Triathlon World Tour 2024 consists of eight 100km events around the world, with Gentle having secured victory in the race in Singapore earlier in the year, pipping British star Lucy Charles-Barclay to the post.
While the Australian feels the conditions in London may not suit her so well, she is excited about the opportunity to race in a city with so much history.
“Being able to race in cities like London is quite iconic,” Gentle said. “It does have a history in triathlon.
“Especially after the Brownlees placed one and three in 2012. That was just historic in the country and it seems like triathlon has just thrived in the UK ever since.
“And now, Lucy Charles-Barclay is such a huge name in long-distance triathlon – she’s lucky to have this race in her home country, but that’s great for everyone.
“It creates a lot of hype, lots of people will come to watch her race but will see us too and it will help grow the sport.”
Where and when to watch the London T100 this weekend 🙌
— T100 Triathlon World Tour (@t100triathlon) July 25, 2024
Men's & Women's race start: 2pm local time
📲 MORE INFO: https://t.co/hwgR3Eb4V2 pic.twitter.com/OigavNcJop
London is the fourth event of the T100 Tour, with Miami, Singapore and San Francisco completed and Ibiza, Las Vegas, Dubai and a Grand Final in the Middle East still to come.
Gentle praised the format of the competition which gives the opportunity to different athletes to shine on different courses.
“The T100 is taking us to all these different cities,” the 33-year-old said. “The different locations all have different weather conditions and the courses vary a lot.
“It’s about trying to prepare for different things at each race. You can have different winners at each race but you need to be as consistently good as possible no matter what the course and location throws up at you.
“That’s definitely a really good thing T100 is doing. Everyone has a chance to thrive in conditions or courses they like, but everyone has to try and be consistent across the tour.
“The T100 has been really good. My history in this distance is strong – I really enjoy it and have been quite successful in it so it’s very motivating for me to target these races.
“This year’s rebranded series is great and I feel very fortunate that they’ve put together such a great season for us this year.
“I think there’s bigger and more exciting things to come next year which keeps me motivated for sure.”
Gentle, ranked second in the world, dug deep in Singapore to defeat third-ranked Charles-Barclay in a hard-fought race, a rivalry which will be reignited in Saturday’s race.
“Lucy is such a strong competitor,” Gentle added. “She did really well in the recent Iron Man in Nice. She smashed the course record and was on fire.
“She’s coming into this race in really dangerous form and has pretty much the whole of London cheering for her.
“I think she’s going to be really hard to beat but I think that keeps me motivated too. I want to be as close to her as possible and hopefully we put on a good show.”
The first London T100 Triathlon weekend on 27-28 July is entirely free for spectators and includes a dedicated T100 Watch Party venue at the ExCel London Exhibition Centre for the very first time. Where fans will be able to see the world’s best triathletes come past at least 10 times during the 100km race format (2km swim, 80km run, 18 km swim). As well as being able to follow them live, out on the course, thanks to a big screen.
Photo credit: Reuters via Beat Media Group subscription.
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