QUALIFIED: Sue Bankier
Masterton triathlete Sue Bankier achieved her main objective when she finished third in the women's 50-54 years age group at the World Cup event in Auckland last weekend, 1min off the winner.
Bankier's effort qualified her to contest next year's world triathlon championships also to be held in Auckland over a similar course, an excellent result considering it was her first race of the new season.
"It was probably more than I expected, to be honest. I knew I wasn't at peak fitness so I wasn't sure how I would last," Bankier said.
As it happened Bankier was always in the leading division, leading out in the 1500m swim and being second at transition, finishing the 40km cycle ride in front and being overhauled by just two of her rivals on the 10km run, where she admits the lack of hard training probably caught up. "The legs got a bit tired, the bike course was pretty hilly and I think it took a bit of the sting out of me for the run," Bankier said.
