Hutchinson makes it a triple treat in triathlon

A RECORD number of competitors lined the shores of Lake Tinaroo at the weekend to take part in the Yungaburra Triathlon.

The annual event attracted some 560 entrants across two days and raised money for returned service members organisations Soldier On, Mates4Mates and the Afghanistan Avenue of Honour.

Ingham triathlete Matt Hutchinson managed to take out the male Olympic solo event for the third consecutive year.

He crossed the line with a time of 2:00:21 on Sunday, followed closely behind by Tim Green from Cairns.

“It was tough start for me, I broke my goggles during the swim, which is already my weak spot,” Matt said.

“I was trailing behind Tim all the way until I passed him in the run.

“I had to dig deep to catch him on that last lap and he definitely made me work for it.”

Cairns’ competitor Sarah Thomas was thrilled to take out the female Olympic solo competition with a time of 2:20:34.

“I’ve placed second in this event twice before, so it feels amazing to finally get my first win,” she said.

“I’m not a strong swimmer, so I knew I had a lot of work to do on the bike and it paid off.”

Last year’s winner, Megan Hendry, of Yungaburra, crossed the line in second place at 2:24:13.

“I’ve raced with Sarah quite a few times before, so I knew if we were close coming in on the bike, it was going to be a tough battle,” she said.

“We were side-by-side at the end of the bike and she’s got some good run legs so she took it away.

“But if there was anyone that was going to catch me, I’m glad it’s Sarah — she’s next level.”

Cairns triathletes Leigh Whitney and Emma Simpson took out the male and female sprint solo events.

For more results, visit yungaburratriathlon.org