‘Pressure is a privilege’: Defending champ staring down record
Defending champion Kylie Simpson will line up in Palm Cove on Sunday morning with a target on her back as the athlete to beat in the women’s professional race.
Local Sport
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Sport. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Defending champion Kylie Simpson will line up in Palm Cove on Sunday morning with a target on her back as the athlete to beat in the women’s professional race.
Simpson representing Australia will headline an international field of top female professional triathletes this Sunday at the 2024 Ironman Cairns Asia-Pacific Championship.
Simpson is not only a two-time Ironman Cairns champion, the Brisbane-based runner also holds the women’s overall course best (8:40:53), bike course best (4:40:41) and run course best (2:51:37) times, all set during her magnificent 2023 victory.
“Pressure is a privilege and something that you put on yourself in either a positive or negative way,” Simpson said.
“Being the reigning champion definitely adds more motivation for me.
“(Last year’s record) pushes me to see how much faster I can go this year.
“This is the fourth race for me this year in the pro series, motivated by every second counts.”
As well as gunning for her third title in Cairns, Simpson will also be hoping to pick up maximum Ironman Pro Series points.
She currently sits sixth in the overall women’s standings courtesy of three consistent races so far.
A win at Ironman Cairns would elevate Simpson to the top of the standings and cement her in the running for the Ironman Pro Series crown and a $300,000 end-of-year bonus.
“I have had a consistent start to the year with racing and training, specifically building towards Cairns,” Simpson said.
“I am going into this race with a great deal of confidence. We know this course, this is the fifth consecutive year for me and the field never changes my race plan.
“I will be aware of the dynamics playing out on race day and respond accordingly.”
Simpson said she loved the atmosphere the Far North has brought to the triathlon in the past.
“Ironman Cairns is my favourite race and location of all the Ironman races and most definitely the Pro Series,” said Simpson.
“The local community really embraces and welcomes the Ironman athletes to the region.
“The crowd support from not only spectators, but also locals who happen to be at some of the bars and restaurants that the run course goes past all get behind the athletes.
“It makes us feel supported through the entire run course, there is no place that you will not have someone cheering for you.”
Ironman Cairns marks the eighth stop of the inaugural Ironman Pro Series and the first in Oceania.
There is more on the line than ever before for the professionals at this year’s event, with the Ironman Asia-Pacific title and a share of more than $225,000 AUD total event pro prize purse up for grabs, as well as four VinFast Ironman World Championship qualifying slots per gender, and a maximum of 5000 Ironman Pro Series points to race winners.
More Coverage
Originally published as ‘Pressure is a privilege’: Defending champ staring down record
AIC First XI cricket: Stallman stars for Saints, young veterans deliver
AIC First XI cricket: A St Laurence’s player produced one of the best all around efforts of the season while young veterans Finn Thallon (Villanova) and Joey Laner (Ashgrove) delivered in spades. More here.
Qld junior reps: Tigers girls roar, Seagulls, Tweed prevail
Qld rugby league junior reps: The Tigers and Tweed rise to wins, the Cutters overcame the Blackhawks while the Seagulls’ Connell Cup young guns made it two in a row as a Broncos-signed centre ran riot. Round 2 coverage here.