Home town girl Ashleigh Gentle aiming for nation’s first gold at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

THERE is a familiarity surrounding Ashleigh Gentle’s push to become Australia’s first Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold medal winner.

THERE is a familiarity surrounding Ashleigh Gentle’s push to become Australia’s first Gold Coast Commonwealth Games gold medal winner.

Thirteen years ago, the Gold Coast local entered the world of triathlons at the age of 14, and within her first season, Surfers Paradise coach Jenny Alcorn was predicting she would become an Olympian.

Gentle has since travelled the world to become one of the best in water, on two wheels, and over land. And now the 27-year-old has returned home and is training hard to win gold in the first event of the Games on Thursday.

“It’s been so nice to swim at Miami pool and to see familiar faces there and in the gym,” Gentle said. “We were at Miami when I moved to (coaches) Raelene Ryan and then Denis

Australian triathlete Ashleigh Gentle. Picture: Adam Head

(Cotterell), so I have been swimming there for a long time.

“I am literally going back to where it all began. We have even gone past the Robina course where I did my first triathlon.

“Seeing some of the athletes I used to train with from all different sports has been great. It is always super refreshing. It is good to get that familiarity back.”

Gentle wasn’t satisfied with her performances at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games (9th) or the Rio Olympics (26th), but she believes redemption is only a race away.

Australia’s great hope said avoiding distraction was the key after bouncing back from a bike crash in her only major pre-Games race – in Abu Dhabi in March.

“The main thing for me is to try and keep things simple and relaxed in the lead-up,” she said.

“It’s so great to be here racing in my home town, but I also don’t want to be distracted.

“It’s about acknowledging that, and I think preparations have been going well.

“Even though it wasn’t a great result in Abu Dhabi, I think I learnt a lot and I calmed a lot of nerves experiencing that first world series race of the year.”

Originally published as Home town girl Ashleigh Gentle aiming for nation’s first gold at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games