Caleb Noble and Amelia Watkinson triumph at Challenge Taiwan, Asia's largest long-distance triathlon

What's new: Caleb Noble and Amelia Watkinson won the men's and women's races at Challenge Taiwan, with Noble narrowly missing the course record.

Why it matters: This event marks the return of pro racing to Challenge Taiwan and showcases the strength and resilience of the athletes in the face of tough conditions.

Setting the pace:

• Over 8,000 athletes participated in the event
• Both Noble and Watkinson led their respective races from the start

What they're saying:

• Noble: "Taiwan's awesome, everyone is so welcoming, especially the triathlon community here."
• Watkinson: "I love racing in Asia, it's a great race, really well organized and I had a lot of fun."

By the numbers:

• Prize purse: €19,000
• Noble's finish time: 3:45:17
• Watkinson's finish time: 4:03:40

Between transition:

• Temperatures and humidity rose throughout the race
• Noble dropped his chain near the end of the bike segment, but managed to recover

Through Time:

• Noble's win was just 15 seconds shy of Jan Frodeno's 2018 course record
• Today's wins put Noble and Watkinson in second and third place, respectively, in the Challenge Family World Bonus rankings

The bottom line: Challenge Taiwan's 2023 edition highlighted the thriving triathlon community in Asia.