Hayley wins Ironwoman Round0
Posted In Blog,Competition
AS far as victories go, they don’t come much sweeter for Hayley Bateup. On her home beach in front of her screaming fans, Bateup produced one of her toughest efforts to take out Round 2 of the Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Ironwoman series at Kurrawa yesterday.
Starting three seconds behind Kristyl Smith in the final, yesterday’s second round soon became a race of five as Smith, Bateup, Elizabeth Pluimers (18) Alicia Marriott (20) and Naomi Flood (21) refused to back down.
Locked neck and neck heading into the beach, Bateup timed her run to perfection as she powered out of the water and up the chute to the cheers of the crowd.
And her face said it all after the victory, which followed a gutsy fourth placing in Saturday’s Round 1 Dash for Cash.
“I had a couple of looks just to know what I had on Kristyl, but my running coach told me just to pump your arms because that will get your legs going faster and I was pumping them and gritting my teeth,” said an ecstatic Bateup.
“I’m now 30 and the oldest girl in there but it just shows that age is not a barrier.
“It’s how you feel and I feel great.”
With her win sending a clear message that a maiden KNG series victory was possible, Bateup put the pressure on herself to perform.
“I said to myself that I don’t want to get less than fourth in every round,” she said.
“I would have been happy with a podium finish but to win it, I’m stoked.
“I could hear everyone yelling out and to do it on your home beach is just the best.”
Never considered the strongest of swimmers, Bateup has been working tirelessly on perfecting her stroke.
Unlike many of her rivals who have been swimming their entire lives, Bateup only started training seriously with a swim coach at 15.
Yesterday, she swam like it was her favoured leg, setting up her victory with a brilliant effort before bringing it home with a golden performance on the board.
“I used to class the swim leg as my bad one,” she said. “But I was looking forward to it just to show everyone that I can do it now.”
Former world ironman champion and Kurrawa coach Phil Clayton said Bateup’s effort in the swim leg was the most pleasing part of the win.
“For her to win is fantastic but not only that, she has beaten some world-class athletes there, so we’re over the moon,” said Clayton.
“The biggest message she sent was that she was no longer a non-swimmer.
“She went into that swim leg and stuck with them in third or fourth the whole way and that’s never happened before.”
In Saturday’s opening round, defending champion Flood was on fire with a dominant display throughout the day but it was Coolangatta Gold winner Marriott who fired when it mattered most to win a sprint finish.
Source: Gold Coast Bulletin
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