PTO Unveils Star-Studded Lineup for Inaugural Women's Asian Open in Singapore

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) has unveiled an elite lineup for the inaugural PTO Asian Open women’s race, taking place in Singapore on Saturday, August 19. Topping the field are PTO World #1 Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), #2 Anne Haug (GER), and #3 Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR), marking the final PTO Tour race of the season.

This star-studded event will feature a roster of 20 athletes, including 11 from the top 30 women in the PTO World Rankings, representing 9 different countries. The athletes will race through the cityscape of Singapore, pushing their limits over a grueling 100km course.

Ashleigh Gentle, the Australian athlete who claimed victories in both PTO Opens in 2022 and secured a second-place finish at this year's PTO European Open in Ibiza, shared her anticipation for the upcoming race. "I have raced in Singapore a couple of times... but obviously, with the PTO Asian Open the race experience will go to the next level for the professionals – but also for the amateurs who have the opportunity to race the same 100km course around what is an iconic city.”

Germany's Anne Haug, who outperformed Gentle in Ibiza, voiced her motivation to compete against the world's best athletes, noting how these competitions push her to realise her fullest potential. She shared, “Competing against the best in the world really pushes me to get the best out of myself and to see how good you can be. These PTO Tour races do exactly that.”

The PTO Asian Open will be hosted in the Marina Bay area, offering an iconic Singapore skyline backdrop. The final 100km course features a 16km circuit for the bike leg, starting and finishing at the Bayfront Event Space, and giving athletes the chance to enjoy stunning city views from the famous Sheares Bridge.

This race will be broadcast live to 195+ territories worldwide, thanks to the PTO Tour’s partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery. For those in Singapore, the PTO Asian Open will be streamed live on mewatch, Mediacorp’s digital streaming platform, and will feature a preview program and race highlights show to be broadcast on Channel 5, Mediacorp’s English language free-to-air channel.

With the PTO Opens’ prize fund for 2023 set at $600,000 USD per event, split evenly between the top 20 female and male athletes, the stakes are high. The winner walks away with $100,000 USD, the runner-up with $50,000 USD, and the third-place finisher with $35,000 USD, making this one of the most lucrative events in the sport.

As the rematch between Haug, Gentle, and Charles-Barclay draws near, the world anticipates a thrilling contest at the first-ever PTO Asian Open in Singapore. The stakes are high, the stage is set, and the top triathletes in the world are ready to battle it out for supremacy.