Georgia Taylor-Brown won on her middle-distance triathlon debut at the IRONMAN 70.3 in Bahrain on Friday morning.
The 30-year-old from Droylsden led the field home by 22 seconds after a gruelling 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike ride and a 13.1-mile half marathon.
Three-time Olympic medallist GTB stepped up to the longer distance after her recent triumph in the world supertri championships, supported by her partner Vincent Luis, who won the men’s race for the second time.
Taylor-Brown was always among the leading pack, being one of five athletes to emerge together from the swim.
Her pre-race concerns about getting the pacing right proved to be unfounded, as she kept in touch with Marlene de Boer and the German duo of Caroline Pohle and Tanja Neubert on the bike.
De Boer and Pohle fell from contention during the half marathon leg, with GTB easing away from Neubert in the final few miles to top the podium.
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