Making the leap from Short Course racing to the Long Distance stage is never easy, but Jessica Fullagar made it look like a masterclass last Saturday. In her T100 Gold Coast debut, the British athlete powered her way to an incredible second-place finish – a feat made even more impressive by the fact that she was competing on a bike borrowed from friend and training partner, Lucy Byram.
Fullagar pushed world-class powerhouse Taylor Knibb to the absolute limit. While the American eventually took the tape, Fullagar finished just one minute behind after a nail-biting chase.
Performance Breakdown
Fullagar proved she belongs at the front of the pack by posting the fastest splits in two out of the three disciplines:
- Swim: 26:04 (Fastest of the day)
- Run: 1:04:19 (Fastest of the day)
The only time she had to yield to Knibb was during the bike leg. Given that Fullagar didn’t have her own TT bike available and had to navigate the course on Byram’s setup, her performance was nothing short of heroic.
A full race report here.
