SUSF Elite Athlete Program (EAP) scholarship holder Emily Kempson has qualified for her first ever Ironman World Championship, after a sensational performance at the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championship in Melbourne last month.
Kempson, studying a Bachelor of Health Science at The University of Sydney, won the female 18-24 year old age category – finishing in an incredible time of 10 hours and 46 minutes. It is easily Kempson’s quickest overall time and is a full 80 minutes faster than her last ironman event in Port Macquarie 10 months ago.
Racing as the youngest female on the course and the youngest female ever, the 20-year old was in second position after the swimming leg, leaving the water in a time of 1.01.57.
Kempson caught up to the category leader and eventually took the lead on her stronger bike leg (5.26.25) and never looked back.
Battling cramp all over her lower body Kempson ran strongly to finish the 42.2km running leg in a time of 4.12.37 and claim the title for the female 18-24 year old age category.
Kempson was ecstatic and exhausted after her victory, saying “Ironman Melbourne was like a dream come true.”
“Overall I was really happy with my race, and going over the day I don’t think I would have done much differently had I the chance to do it again. I guess the best part of all this was how much I learnt on the day and the people I met along the way!
“I am really looking forward to Kona (Ironman World Championship), but going even further ahead I really think I have a lot of improvement still left in me which is really exciting and I can’t wait to do a couple more full distance events in the coming years!”
The 2014 Ironman World Championship takes place on the famous Kailua-Kona course in Hawaii and on October 11.
