Smith becomes genuine threat for series win
JEMMA Smith found the perfect outlet for a study break yesterday after notching a breakthrough Nutri-Grain ironwoman win that suddenly has her pegged as a series threat.
Smith, from Umina on the NSW Central Coast, won the opening round of the pro- fessional ironwoman series at Sydney’s Queenscliff Beach yesterday to translate her enormous potential into competition points.
The 18-year-old was sitting on the beach studying chemistry and maths just moments before her breakthrough win and almost didn’t attend yesterday’s opening round due to her Year 12 exams.
“But when the series format came out a couple of weeks ago it said you had to count your best five rounds (of the sixround competition),” she said.
“I weighed it up and went, in case anything happened, I’d better come to all of them.
“So I made that decision and I’m really glad I did. To get that win today was absolutely amazing, I’m so excited.”
Smith led a rare all-NSW podium, finishing ahead of Newport’s Georgia Miller and Lizzie Welborn from North Bondi and beating former series winners Courtney Hancock, Harriet Brown and Jordan Mercer.
“Growing up as a nipper you idolise those ironwomen and ironmen coming into it, so to be able to win today is just a dream come true for me,” Smith admitted. A winner of six gold medals at the Aussies in 2016 as an under-17 competitior in an effort that saw her named female competitor of the carnival, Smith has long had potential.
But she will lead the NutriGrain series into next month’s round in Coolum and has emerged as a real contender.