Olympic Gold Medalist Alistair Brownlee And 70.3 World Champion Holly Lawrence Win 2016 Beijing International Triathlon

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Sep 12, 2016, 12:30 ET

BEIJING, Sept. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alistair Brownlee from Great Britain wins the 2016 Beijing International Triathlon, his first race since taking home the Olympic Gold Medal in Rio. The current 70.3 World Champion Holly Lawrence from Great Britain took first place among the women, giving Great Britain a first place sweep. This was the first time Brownlee and Lawrence competed in this race. More than 1,400 professional and amateur athletes from more than 39 countries participated in the fifth annual Beijing International Triathlon, on Sunday, September 11, in the Fengtai district of Beijing.

Olympic Gold Medalist Alistair Brownlee And 70.3 World Champion Holly Lawrence Win 2016 Beijing International Triathlon

"I was thrilled to return to Beijing to race, this was a challenging course, something a bit different after Rio," said 2016 Beijing International Triathlon Winner Alistair Brownlee. "The field of professionals was strong with Josh Amberger setting a fast pace on the swim, followed by Cameron Dye setting the pace on the bike course."

Top Finishers:
	First Place:	Alistair Brownlee, GBR, 1:52:30
		Holly Lawrence, GBR, 2:07:39
	Second Place:	Joe Maloy, USA, 1:53:27
		Ashleigh Gentle, AUS, 2:07:46
	Third Place:	Cameron Dye, USA, 1:53:48
		Barbara Riveros, CHI, 2:07:48

"This was a mind-blowing race in an amazing setting with a stellar field of professional athletes," said 2016 Beijing International Triathlon Winner Holly Lawrence. "The swim was fast, followed by a technical bike course and a run that was filled with more than 480 stairs. I knew Ashleigh Gentle, who is an amazing runner, was close to me on the run as I approached the top of the steps. I had to just go as hard as I could and I went down the steps three to five steps at a time to hold my lead."

For the third year, the race started and finished amongst the beautiful scenery of Garden Expo Park, in the eco-friendly Fengtai district of Beijing. The Olympic distance race featured a 1.5 km swim through Garden Expo Lake; a challenging 40 km bike race through the villages of Fengtai and up Qian Ling Mountain, the highest peak in Southwest Beijing; and a final 10 km run through the lush gardens and scenic trails of the Garden Expo Park, including a 480-step stair climb. A sprint distance race took place on Saturday, September 10 bringing the total number of participants to more than 1,800 as the popularity of triathlon continues to grow in China.

A prestigious field of the world's top professional triathletes including Josh Amberger (AUS); Olympian Greg Bennett (AUS); Olympian Alistair Brownlee (GBR); Kevin Collington (USA); Cameron Dye (USA); Eric Lagerstrom (USA); Olympian Joe Maloy (USA); Vicente Hernandez (ESP); Olympian Ashleigh Gentle (AUS); Lauren Goss (USA); Holly Lawrence (GBR); Barbara Riveros (CHI); Magali Tisseyre (CAN); and Radka Vodickova (CZE) all competed in the Olympic distance race for $100,000 in prize money.

The 2016 Beijing International Triathlon was presented by the Fengtai Sports Bureau of Beijing and produced by IMG. For more information, visit www.beijinginternationaltriathlon.com or follow at www.facebook.com/BeijingTri and www.twitter.com/Beijing_Tri.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160912/406402

SOURCE IMG