As Jakes Off Road Triathlon held its 23rd staging last Saturday, rising star triathlete Llori Sharpe continued her impressive form with a third-place finish in the team section.

Partnering with her coach Carlton Simmonds, the 17-year-old delivered an overall time of 1 hour, 32 minutes and 11 seconds. Sharpe participated in both the 300-metre swim and 7K run, clocking 5 minutes 57 seconds and 28 minutes 23 seconds, respectively. Coach Simmonds took the cycling leg.

The individual event was won by Frenchwoman Elisabeth Mondon in one hour and 35 minutes, after clocking 6.29 minutes in the swim, 56.11 minutes on the bike, and 31.24 minutes on the run. She won ahead of Ina Daley who finished in one hour and 47 minutes, with Maria Serrano De Vaquerano in third in two hours and two minutes.

Jassette Bromfield won the men’s section in one hour and 18 minutes, after registering times of 8.30, 43.30 and 25.29 minutes on the swim, bike and run, respectively, to win ahead of Carlisle Russell who clocked one hour and 30 minutes. Carlo Facchino was third in one hour and 32 minutes.

After the race Sharpe was upbeat and pleased with what she was able to accomplish.

“Overall the course was pretty good. I enjoyed the swimming portion. The water wasn’t too rough, which put me at ease, and the run was surprisingly manageable. You would think because it was off-road that it would be difficult, but I was able to manage just fine,” she said.

Sharpe went further to explain her plans for improvement as she prepares for the 2018 Caribbean Triathlon/Duathlon Championships, scheduled for May 20 in Key Biscayne, Miami, Florida.

“After recently completing the Commonwealth Games I felt more prepared for the Jakes Off Road Triathlon, but more so for the upcoming Caribbean Championships. I like to participate in events like this to judge my progress and see what things I can do to improve my results.

“I think my chances for the Caribbean Championships are pretty good. I came first in the 16-19-year-old category two consecutive years since 2016. This year, I’m looking to defend my title and come out on top again,” added Sharpe.

The teen sensation says mentally she is fully recovered from her 2017 setback when unscrupulous persons stole her competition bike, following which corporate brand D&G Malta stepped in to donate a replacement.

Saturday’s three-discipline event, which was also sponsored by Malta, saw huge support from persons all across Jamaica as well as participants from overseas, specifically from North America and Europe. It featured a 300-metre protected ocean swim, a 25K off-and-on road backcountry mountain bike cycle, and a 7K trail run.