Ashleigh Gentle and Vicky Holland come into the new ITU World Triathlon Series season on the back of hugely differing 2017 fortunes.
After several years of admittedly being the bridesmaid, Gentle thrust herself into the limelight last year with a maiden WTS victory in Montreal on her way to finishing runner-up behind champion Flora Duffy, who retained the title she won in 2016.
Now, the Australian will head home to her backyard of the Gold Coast where she hopes home comforts will count for a lot as she targets more glory at the Commonwealth Games in April.
Contrast that with Holland, who has endured a painful fall from grace since winning Olympic bronze in Rio just 18 months ago. She brought the curtain down on her miserable 2017 campaign early in May following the third WTS event of the season in Yokohama.
The 32-year-old English athlete managed to drag herself to a fifth-place finish in Japan but an MRI later revealed that had been a miracle as she’d slowly aggravated a niggling calf injury that had first surfaced the previous December.
She made her comeback at the Cape Town ITU Triathlon World Cup earlier this month and in some style too, beating fellow Briton Non Stanford to the title by 34 seconds.
Both will gauge how far they’ve come during the winter when they line up on the start line at the WTS season-opener in Abu Dhabi on Friday, in what is set to be one of the most competitive women’s line-ups in the event’s four-year history.
And despite victory on her return to competition, Holland is excited to test herself against a stellar field.
Vicky Holland on her way to winning triathlon bronze for Britain in 2016.
“This is a stacked field to begin with, you don’t often get that at the start of the year, I think that has to do with the Commonwealth Games in a few weeks. It’s a really busy race and I’ll definitely get to test myself against the best,” Holland said as the race weekend was officially launched at Yas Island’s Crowne Plaza on Wednesday.
“Cape Town was my first race of 2018 and first race in about nine months so I was a little bit rusty, but it was good to be back racing and I was delighted to start 2018 with a win.”
Nine of triathlon’s top 10 women will lead a pack of 50 from 20 countries as they tackle a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run at the Yas Marina course on Friday.
Bermuda’s two-time defending series champion Duffy, defending Abu Dhabi champion Andrea Hewitt, Gentle, Americans Katie Zaferes, Kirsten Kasper and Summer Cook, Britain’s Jessica Learmonth, Joanna Brown of Canada and Dutchwoman Rachel Klamer all finished in the top 10 of the 2017 rankings, with only Switzerland’s Jolanda Annen not featuring in the Emirates.
DRUMROLL PLEASE ...The elite women's start list for WTS Abu Dhabi 2018 is here! We can't wait to welcome the world's best female triathletes in Abu Dhabi. Get ready to race alongside heroes like @Flora Duffy, @andreahewittnz @gentle_ash, @kzaferes6 & more https://t.co/zZyWM550FM pic.twitter.com/sjbb6VNyMv
— WTS Abu Dhabi (@WTSAbuDhabi) 11 February 2018
As for Gentle, she is hoping she can marry her form from 2017 with her ambitions for the Commonwealth Games, which start in just over a month, on April 4.
“Last year was a great year for me. I’ve been bridesmaid a few times in world series races so to come away with a victory in Montreal was a massive highlight,” said the 27-year-old.
“I wanted to come here and test myself against the best in the world before we see what I can do in six weeks’ time.”
Gentle is a Brisbane native and now lives in the city of Gold Coast, just 41 miles south east of her home. And she has been waiting for the Games since the city won the bid back in 2011.
“I remember the countdown from years ago when the Gold Coast first got elected. It’s such a big thing for us. To do it (win gold) in front of my home crowd would be great,” she said.
Ashleigh Gentle was WTS runner-up last year.
“This is the first big test. I had a few local races but training has been really consistent. I’ve given it my all each day and I guess I’ll see on Friday but I think I’m in a good place.”
Gentle has been with new coach Jamie Turner for the last 12 months and feels she’s found another gear as she also targets the next Olympics in Tokyo 2020.
“I’ve been with him (Turner) a year, not that long, but feel I’ve made a few inroads,” she added.
“I’ve been doing this sport for quite a long time but it’s surprising how much you can learn each day, week and year, being in a new environment and trying to get the best out of myself going ahead to Tokyo 2020, which is the big goal.”
Andrea Hewitt is the defending Abu Dhabi champion.
One star name Holland and Gentle will be keeping a particular eye on is New Zealand veteran Hewitt, 35, who tearfully dedicated her Abu Dhabi triumph a year ago – her first WTS win in six years – to former partner Laurent Vidal.
The Frenchman, also an ex-triathlete who finished fifth at London 2012 and had turned to training Hewitt after retiring in 2014, died of a heart attack, aged just 31, in November 2015.
“It’s great to be back. It was my third time racing here last year but definitely it was special,” said Hewitt, who has finished second and third on the world series twice, and will hope she can push for a maiden title this season.
