Robins, Beate rule the roost
MITCHELL Paul Robins of Australia overcame challenging weather conditions to emerge champion of the UEM Sunrise Iskandar Puteri Triathlon Challenge at Puteri Harbour, Johor yesterday.
The 29-year-old led the field after the 1.9km swim in the first discipline of the challenge at the Puteri Harbour coast.
He withstood a morning downpour to complete the subsequent 90km cycling discipline before racing past the finish line at the end of the 21km run in a time of 3 hours, 57 minutes and 47 seconds.
“It was quite challenging on the bike as the road was quite slippery due to rain.
“Still, I managed to hang on to the lead and I must commend the route for cycling and running as it was far better then last year.
“It was a tough race. But I am glad to have won it and the experience was truly fantastic,” said Robins, who first ventured into triathlon nine years ago.
The native of Port Macquarie, New South Wales in Australia, won his first professional race at the Port Macquarie Half Ironman in 2010.
He represented Australia at the Beijing International Triathlon Union World Championships in 2011, but a severe foot injury in 2012 led to him taking time off.
He marked his return two years later by winning the men’s title at the Challenge Forster in New South Wales.
Finishing second was Fredrik Croneborg of Sweden in a time of 3:58:29.
Cameron Brown of New Zealand came in third with a time of 4:00:48.
In the women’s category, German duathlete and triathlete Beate Goertz emerged champion with a time of 4:29:32s.
“I knew I had to go hard on the bike. And the bike route is to my liking as it is flat.
“There were some tricky areas with a lot of bumps. But overall this is a good race and it was well organised,” said Beate, 48.
In second spot was Hungarian Anna Eberhardt who clocked in at 4:32:12, while New Zealander Kathryn Haesner came in third at 4:37:04.
This is the second year the triathlon, under the global Challenge Family series, is conducted in Iskandar Puteri, Johor. Ahmad Fairuz Othman