Glamour girls in battle of the ages

WHEN Kirsty Holmes won her first Australian ironwoman in 1996, Hayley Bateup was watching from the sidelines, Alyce Bennett was a nipper and Teisha Jenkins wasn’t even born.

But all four will contest round two of the ironwoman series at Portsea today.

And it’s not just the styles of their Quiksilver bikinis which reflect their difference in age.  Holmes, now a firefighter, has come out of retirement. Bateup, a multiple Coolangatta Gold champion, is back after being sidelined with injuries. And Bennett is juggling a degree in business and law with training, while Jenkins is on school holidays.

“It shows how far this sport has come that such a big cross section of people are competing,” Bennett said.

Jenkins, 16, has teachers younger than Holmes and Bateup, but she has nothing but admiration for her rivals.

“I think it’s awesome Kirsty is competing because she’s always coming over and asking me if I need help,” Jenkins said. “She gives me heaps of little tips.”

Source: Daily Telegraph