Two-time Australian Olympian, Courtney Atkinson, was the toast of Penrith last weekend after he won the famous Nepean Triathlon.
What makes the 33-year-old’s victory even more impressive was it was the first time the professional triathlete had ever competed at the local annual event.
“For years it has been a triathlon I had always heard about and it was always one I wanted to get to,” Atkinson said.
The London Olympian, who hails from Mermaid Waters in Queensland, completed the 1km swim, 30km cycle and 10km run in a time of 1:27:44, 54 seconds ahead of 2011 Nepean champion, Tim Reed.
“This was my first triathlon since the London Olympics,” Atkinson said.
“The Regatta Centre is a great location to race because it’s a course where the whole crowd can watch you compete throughout.”
The Nepean Triathlon’s female winner was Dutch Olympian, Rachel Klamer, who completed the course in 1:38:40.
The male versus female handicap portion of the race was the most thrilling of all with Atkinson taking the handicap title from Klamer by just 0.55 of a second – the closest finish in the history of the race.
“I knew I had already won the men’s event because I worked up a good lead during the run but having to chase down Rachel (Klamer) gave me an extra incentive,” Atkinson said of the race’s final stages.
