Felicity Sheedy-Ryan funding Olympic dream with 70.3 ironman racing
WORLD duathlon champion Felicity Sheedy-Ryan puts her body through four hours or more of racing pain for a pay cheque helping fund an Olympic dream.
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WORLD duathlon champion Felicity Sheedy-Ryan is preparing to put her body through four hours or more of racing pain for a pay cheque helping fund an Olympic dream.
A late starter in triathlon, the two-time world duathlon champion finished second to Melissa Hauschildt in Sunday’s Ironman 70.3 Asia-Pacific championship at Penrith.
Prize money from the gruelling event comprising a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21km run, will help fund Sheedy-Ryan’s goal of racing at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
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“I get a big fat zip in funding,’’ said Sheedy-Ryan, whose shortcourse results suffered when she opted this year to overhaul her swimming stroke in a bid to improve her weakest leg.
“I need to do the other races like the 70.3 this weekend to keep allowing me to do what I am trying to do.
“Once you are performing and podiuming you have to hope it can’t be ignored.’’
If she achieves the feat Sheedy-Ryan would be the oldest Australian triathlete to race at the Olympics since the sports debut at the Sydney Games in 2000.
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“I’ll be 34 by then but I don’t think age is an issue for me,” said Sheedy-Ryan who only took up the sport after leaving school.
“The love is still there and I know I have more to give.
“And maybe because I started so late my body is holding up really well.’’
A renown cyclist and runner Sheedy-Ryan’s success in triathlon has been hampered by a weak swim but addressed her stroke, timing and position in the water has seen her times significantly reduced.
“It was a gamble and it hurt me, it send my swimming backward before it sent me forward. But I now starting to see the pick-up,’’ she said..
“It cost me any chance of going to the Commonwealth Games.’’
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After two wins and two second places in her previous four half ironman races, Sheedy Ryan was beaten by two-time world 70.3 champion Hauschildt on Sunday.
The men’s race was won by Dan Wilson in his farewell to racing.