Olympic triathlete, Ryan Bailie has come away with a first place finish after competing in the City of Armadale Duathlon, at Champion Lakes Regatta Centre, on Sunday.
Returning for his first race in Western Australia since the Olympics, Bailie said; “It was great to race back in Perth, it’s always special to race in front of a WA crowd.”
Coming into the transition area after the bike leg, Bailie was neck and neck with fellow competitor Matthew Burton.
It wasn’t until the final run leg that Bailie asserted his dominance, pulling away to cross the finish line first.
The competition involved over 600 competitors all vying for the title of Australian Champion and a spot on the 2017 Australian World Duathlon Team.
Event Manager, Lachlan Matthews said, “It’s always a fantastic atmosphere at Champion Lakes when you know that the best athletes in the world are competing.”
“To have our home-grown Olympian racing was just awesome.”
Differing from a triathlon, the duathlon held at the Champion Lakes Regatta Centre followed a run-bike-run format with varying course lengths dependent on the individuals racing category.
Bailie competed in the long course which consisted of a 5km run, followed by a 20km cycle and another 2.5km run.
The City of Armadale Duathlon is a national and state championship event which is part of the Triathlon Australia National Calendar.
