Tim Ballintine and Ling Er Choo dazzle in Colombo triathlon

By Shannon Nicholas

Tim Ballintine of Australia and Ling Er Choo of Singapore were crowned winners of the Male and Female Solo events respectively at the So Sri Lanka IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo 2019 held at the Galle Face Green premises yesterday (24).

In the Male Solo event, Ballintine recorded a timing of 04:10:13 to walk away with the Gold with ease ahead of Pierre Lafayeedney (United Kingdom) who finished second with a timing of 04:20:22. Mats Allen of the United States completed the top-three when he crossed the finish line with a timing of 04:27:12.

Singaporean national Ling Er Choo claimed the Female Solo event when she chipped in a timing of 04:41:39 while Kimberly McKinney of Australia was awarded Silver when she finished in a with timing of 04:43:22. Inge Prasetyo (Indonesia) registered a time of 04:52:32 to walk away with Bronze.

In the Male Relay event, Team Sri Lanka Navy claimed Gold after posting a timing of 04:01:14 ahead of Team Foundation Of Goodness of Sri Lanka who managed to chip in a timing of 04:26:25 to finish first runners-up. UAE-based Team Lekka Tri ended in third place with a timing of 04:33:43.

Ashwin Doranegama topped the Sri Lanka list in the Male Solo event after recording a timing of 04:41:18 while Asith Perera and Sampath Bandara also excelled after registering timings of 04:43:12 and 04:44:14 respectively.

The triathlon kicked-off at around 6.15 am with the tri-athletes taking off for a 1.9km single-loop swim, the first phase of the race, from the beach in front of Galle Face Green, where they swam an anti-clockwise, triangular course.

The final two phases saw a flat and fast 90km bike course through Janadhipathi Mawatha, Sir Baron Jayatilaka Mawatha, York Street and BOC Mawatha and a 21.1km run course that extended up to Kollupitiya junction, which showcased some of the finest scenery around the Colombo city. The finish was staged in front of the Galle Face Green.

The flat and fast course through the bustling city of Colombo was enjoyed by both the participants and spectators, with the race concluding at 3 pm.

The bike and run courses were extended this time compared to last year to make it more spectator-friendly, which was the main aim of this year’s event.

So Sri Lanka IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo was organised by Pro Am Serendib, with the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau coming up as the title sponsor of the event. Partner organisations included Shangri-La Colombo, MAS, Sri Lankan Airlines, Ceylinco, MTV/MBC Group, Hayleys Tours, Advantis, Asiri, Wijeya Group, SIS, Kantra LMRB, Emerging Media, Rotaract, Strategy, Honda, RedBull, Inspire X, Bernard’s, Rainbow, Spinners, the Triathlon Club Colombo and 230i.

RESULTS

MALE SOLO RESULTS

• 1. Tim Ballintine (Australia) - 04:10:13
• 2. Pierre Lafayeedney (United Kingdom) - 04:20:22
• 3. Mats Allen (United States) - 04:27:12

FEMALE SOLO RESULTS

• 1. Ling Er Choo (Singapore) - 04:41:39
• 2. Kimberly McKinney (Australia) - 04:43:22
• 3. Inge Prasetyo (Indonesia) - 04:52:32

MALE RELAY RESULTS

• 1. Team Sri Lanka Navy (Sri Lanka Relay) - 04:01:14
• 2. Team Foundation Of Goodness (Sri Lanka Relay) - 04:26:25
• 3. Team Lekka Tri (UAE Relay) - 04:33:43

TOP SRI LANKAN MALE RESULTS

• 1. Ashwin Doranegama - 04:41:18
• 2. Asith Perera - 04:43:12
• 3. Sampath Bandara - 04:44:14

Pix: Kushan Pathiraja