Gentle in frame for Super new challenge

GOLD Coaster Ashleigh Gentle is likely to be in the mix when 50 of the world’s leading triathletes – including 25 Olympians – compete for the Super League Jersey crown in September.

Super League triathlon made its debut at Hamilton Island earlier this year, the new format promising to revitalise the sport much as Twenty20 has done for cricket.

While men alone were involved in the inaugural event, women will be included in September’s race in Jersey – one of the Channel Islands between England and France – with a field of 25 to compete for a pool of $130,000, the same prizemoney as the men.

While Gentle was not named in the official press release, which included leading Brits Vicky Holland, Jodie Stimpson, Lucy Hall and Non Stanford, three-time Olympian Flora Duffy from Bermuda, Olympic bronze medallist Erin Densham from Australia and the current American World Triathlon Series leader Katie Zaferes, Gentle is likely to be high on the hit list given she is sitting in second place on the world rankings.

Gentle has previously spoken of her ambition to be a part of the Super League, telling the Bulletin in March of her desire to race the $2 million series.

“If there is a women’s series that is going to go ahead at the end of the year I’d definitely love to be involved in it,” Gentle said. “It seems like a really good opportunity and really different and exciting racing.”

Gentle is in career-best form, finishing second in the World Triathlon Series event in Hamburg at the weekend.

While WTS races follow a traditional swim, bike, run triathlon format, Super League showcases the sport in a new way, testing the versatility and adaptability of athletes by mixing up the traditional sequence and splitting events over two days.