Ashleigh Gentle is back in training and ready to chase ‘some big goals’ after admitting she needed some time out at the end of last season due to personal reasons.
The Australian triathlete announced in December that she had suffered a miscarriage, and this week confirmed that she had taken a break from sport to ‘recalibrate’ both body and mind.
In one of the season’s most impressive acts of bravery and resilience, Gentle still managed to line up and finish sixth at the T100 Triathlon World Championship Final in Qatar, even though it was only a matter of days after her terrible news had been made public.
Seven top-ten finishes in T100
Gentle had enjoyed a solid season on the T100 tour, with seven top-ten finishes out of her eight races, including a win in the French Riviera in August and a second place at Woolongong in October.
Following on from an even more impressive 2024 season, when she recorded five podium finishes, including two wins in Singapore and London, it now seems that Gentle is ready to try and recapture that race-winning form as she eyes more success in 2026 and beyond.
The 34-year-old, posting on her Instagram account earlier this week, said: “January has been and gone, but I feel like the season is starting for me now.
“It might seem a bit late, but after experiencing early pregnancy, then loss, racing T100 Grand final in December a week later, then giving my body (and mind) time to recalibrate, I needed the time, and I feel like it’s been well spent.
Taking a step back
“Taking a step back from full gas triathlon just makes me realise how much I still love this sport, and fuels me for some big goals I have in mind for the next few years 🔥. Happy ‘26 friends.”
Her sixth-placed finish in Qatar secured an overall position of fourth in the T100 standings, but it was the fact that she was able to compete at all that was perhaps the most impressive aspect of her race.
Speaking before the World Championship Final, she said: “I’ll be lining up at the T100 Grand Final here in Qatar after experiencing a miscarriage last week at around seven weeks pregnant. It’s not something I’d ever wish on anyone.
“I’ve been overwhelmed with emotions… I have no idea whether I can be competitive on Friday (I wanted to be honest here), and I hope no one feels let down by this.
‘Life doesn’t always unfold the way we hope’
“I could so easily share a different story and pretend everything has been perfect, but it’s exhausting, and the reality is that life doesn’t always unfold the way we hope.”
After the event, she accepted that sixth was possibly not something she would have celebrated earlier in the season, but that, in the circumstances, she was happy with her efforts, while her partner, Josh Amberger (AUS), could only watch on with pride in Chile, having just finished second in the Patagonman Xtri.
In an Instagram post at the time, he wrote: “Patagonman was one of my most memorable days of my life, but also with the feeling of loss & helplessness playing out at home. Very courageous of Ash to share the news of her miscarriage, which happened just days before the race.
“I left her at home to see through my dreams in Chile, but she went on to experience a heartbreaking loss. It’s a duality that still feels surreal, not having been there to support her or being able to properly process it abroad.
“Asha I’m in awe of your courage and also your spirit to finish off the season.”
The triathlon family will welcome her back with open arms and wish her all the best for the challenges that lie ahead.
