Truly an Iron couple – newly married Aussies crowned winners in Langkawi

Married and merry: Josh Amberger (left) and Ashleigh Gentle celebrate after winning the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships men and women’s titles.

PETALING JAYA: Newly married Australian couple Josh Amberger and Ashleigh Gentle stole the show in the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championships by capturing the men and women’s titles.

The tournament was held for the first time in Malaysia.

Amberger was in his element when he finished the 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run course with a time of 3:50:47 in Langkawi yesterday.

The 34-year-old led the swim at the Danna Langkawi and kept his advantage intact for large parts of the 90km bike course through the Langkawi Falls and the coastline of Pantai Kok.

Amberger, though, faced a tough challenge from compatriots Mike Phillips and Kurt Mcdonald before regaining the lead and dashing past the finish line first at the Pelangi Beach Resort.

“I built into the run but didn’t take the lead until the final 11 or 12 kilometres,” said Amberger.

“When I got it, I just wanted to push the advantage to seal the deal.

“It’s an amazing feeling to win this tournament in Langkawi.”

Philipps finished second with a time of 3:52:23 while McDonald clocked 3:54.33 to finish third.

In the women’s event, Gentle was in dominant form as she finished with a time of 4:10:1, which was almost six minutes ahead of second placed compatriot Amelia Watkinson (4:16:05).

United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Lottie Lucas clocked 4:20:59 to come third.

“The highlight for me was seeing Josh win,” said two-time Olympian Gentle.

“He has helped me so much in my career and to see him have this success makes me happy.

“We got married last year, but we have been on the triathlon circuit for over a decade and shared some great experiences together.

“To be able to come here and take two titles to one household feels pretty good,” she added.

The top three finishers in the men’s and women’s categories have automatically qualified for the World Ironman Championships to be held in New Zealand on Dec 14-15, 2024.

Meanwhile, Teh Kuok Yen and Esther Joy Chen did Malaysia proud by finishing the race as the fastest overall age-groupers.

Kuok Yen finished with a time of 4:32:13 to become the fastest Malaysian male, while national triathlete Esther clocked 5:07:39 to become the quickest local female competitor.