The ‘Queen of Kona’, Paula Newby-Fraser, who won a record eight IRONMAN World Championship titles in total, has shared her excitement for this weekend’s women only race in Kona.
The Zimbabwe-born great, speaking on the most recent episode of ‘Mondays with Mark Allen‘, told the six-time Kona king how special it is for the pro women racing this weekend to be able to take centre stage.
Stepping into the limelight
Drawing on experiences from her own career, Newby-Fraser – who won the last of her IRONMAN World Championship titles in 1996 – explained how during her time at the top of the sport, she had always felt as if she was in the shadows of her male counterparts.
“I think this is brave and I think this is fantastic” she said, adding: “I know we were joking about it coming into this interview, but I spent my career dragging along in your shadows for many years and many World Championships.
“I think in Nice, [I was] definitely in your shadow and in Kona, it was behind you and Dave [Scott], so to see an event where every piece of energy, emotion and adulation from the media is for the women is something very special.”
Reiterating how important it was that the women now had an opportunity to be centre stage, Newby-Fraser didn’t think that the women on the start line would come to fully appreciate the magnitude of the switch until after the race.
Understanding the importance
“I don’t think the women will understand the importance, until they’ve lived through the experience of having that Island and everything on it dedicated to their race experience.
“The women were often a prelude to the men’s race, so I think this is truly special, and I don’t think they will realise how special it is until they’ve had the experience, so I am just so excited and I feel more excited for Kona than I have for the last few years.”
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