Search
shop

Rising British star says breakthrough win will help her bounce back from “a big knock”

British newcomer Chloe Sparrow says her first pro win has restored her confidence after tough spell full of setbacks
Last updated -
Get the ultimate guide to destination racing

Chloe Sparrow announced herself as one to watch by winning Challenge St Pölten on Sunday.

But the 26-year-old, a relative newcomer who only took up triathlon during lockdown after being furloughed, had to bounce back from weeks of adversity to do it.

Sparrow’s breakthrough win in Austria was her first as a pro after coming second on the same course last year, and she says it restored her confidence in her ability to succeed in the sport.

Advertisement

“Rough couple of months”

She said: “It’s more than just a win. It’s been a rough couple of months with injury, illness, a DNF on my first race. When that happens, your confidence takes a big knock. So to win today, it’s more than just a win, it means a lot.

“I struggle a lot with my confidence so it’s given me the boost of confidence that I’ve needed to carry on with the rest of the season.

“It’s a super special race. It was my first podium as a pro last year. To get the win this year just makes it such a special event and the atmosphere was amazing.”

Chloe Sparrow run Challenge St Polten 2025
Chloe Sparrow on the run as she closed out her first win as a pro [Photo credit: José Louis Hourcade]

Sparrow had a difficult start to the year with a DNF at Challenge Sir Bani-Yas in April before coming eighth at Challenge “The Championship” Samorin on 18 May.

But she said everything went according to plan at St Pölten, where she focused her efforts on trying to build a big lead on the bike.

In actual fact she ended up leading the whole day, completing her 1500 metres swim in 23:00 minutes. But she really pulled away on the bike, leaving everyone behind, before holding off a furious charge by Anna Pabinger on the run to finish a nailbiting 30 seconds ahead of the Austrian in 4:25:51.

“I just tried to be brave”

Sparrow said: “I did plan in trying to gain a big lead on the bike. My swim wasn’t great but I thought I could get a big lead on the bike if I ride hard. I was planning on doing that. So I was really pleased with that.

“I just went hard from the start and then from knowing the course from last year, I regretted not riding the big climb harder that year.

“So this time I rode it hard, and my coach told me to just send it on the descents, you can gain a lot of time on the descents, so I just tried to be brave and it paid off.”

Sparrow admits she isn’t sure what comes next for her and is just focused on “a few weeks of good solid training block” before deciding her next challenge, but one thing’s for sure – with her confidence back, anything is possible.

Paul Brown
Written by
Paul Brown
Discover more
Laura Siddall Challenge Roth 2025 finish line
PremiumLaura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
Ruth Astle finishing IRONMAN Vitoria 2024
PremiumHow to cope with a DNF: Elite athletes share their stories
PremiumIs your evening workout routine wrecking your recovery? Expert physiologist on how to improve recovery and what NOT to do
Caroline Pohle Lena Meissner ironman 703 jonkoping sprint 2025
PremiumTriathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
03/07/2025 - Tour de France 2025 - Grand départ Jour 2 - Lille - Présentation des équipes -Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma-Lease a Bike)
PremiumWhat triathletes can learn from the Tour de France pro peloton
latest News
Jan Frodeno Cheesehead PTO Tour US Open 2023 Milwaukee
Triathlon legend Jan Frodeno goes outside his comfort zone to take on epic UTMB challenge
Matthew Marquardt wins IRONMAN Lake Placid 2025
Matthew Marquardt reveals why he would do IRONMAN Lake Placid again “in a heartbeat”
Premium‘The difference from triathlon is so big – there’s no comparison’: Maya Kingma on life in the Women’s WorldTour peloton
Sam Laidlow wins IRONMAN Leeds 2025
Sam Laidlow hails ‘special’ IRONMAN Leeds crowd after one fan sign turned chiller into thriller
Alex Yee wins Super tri Toronto 2025
Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee says “I’ve still got it” after roaring back to action with terrific Toronto win
triathlon on your terms
Never miss out with our triathlon alerts & digest. Get a dose of adventure & inspiration with Boundless.
The 247 Group

The home of endurance sports

TRI247-LOGO_Primary-Black_RGB-1

CHOOSE YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO BECOME PART OF SOMETHING EPIC

We’re on a mission to elevate the world of endurance sport, becoming your go-to resource for expert training tips and inspiration, unbiased reporting and creating a platform for grassroots voices. But we can’t do it without you on board! Choose a TRI247+ membership option below and become part of something epic.

£7.95/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

100+ new articles/month

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

£47.95/year
£95.40/year

50% Discount

100+ new articles/month

Unlimited access. No ads. A whole library of tips, advice and inspiration at your finger tips, and the chance to shape the future of triathlon journalism.

You’ll also gain access to our other premium websites:

Have an account? Sign in

Share to...