Annabel Luxford

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Annabel Claire Luxford
Luxford at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Personal information
Born (1982-03-02) 2 March 1982 (age 42)[1]
Sydney, Australia[1]
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight54 kg (119 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportTriathlon
Coached byDarren Smith
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Women's triathlon
ITU World Championship
Silver medal – second place 2005 Gamagori Individual
ITU World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2005 Overall
Silver medal – second place 2004 Overall
Ironman 70.3
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Elite

Annabel Luxford (born 2 March 1982) is an Australian triathlete. In International Triathlon Union (ITU) competition she is the 2005 ITU Triathlon World Cup champion and the silver medalist at the 2005 ITU Triathlon World Championships. In 2004 she was the ITU under-23 World Champion and also finished second in the ITU Triathlon World Cup standings.

Career

Luxford was born in Sydney, Australia and grew up in Brisbane. At the age of ten she competed at the national Cross Country Championships, finishing first in the 2000m event. In high school she achieved podium finishes at national cross country and middle distance events and would later win the under-20 Australian Cross Country Championships. At age nine she competed in her first triathlon and continued to compete in triathlon throughout high school.

ITU competition

At seventeen she was invited to join the Australian Junior team and competed in the 1999 under-23 ITU World Championships in Montreal Canada, finishing fourth. In 2000, she attended Bond University on an athletic scholarship where she studied to earn her degree in communication. Despite her sparse training while in college she was selected to the Australian under-23 team and finished in the top ten at each year's World Championships race.[1][2]

2004-2006

In 2004, Luxford began competing on the International Triathlon Union race circuit. That year she would win the under-23 World Championship race in Madeira and finish second overall in the ITU World Cup standings. In 2005, she finished first in the ITU World Cup Series rankings and second at the ITU Elite World Championships in Gamagori. The next year she took fifth at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.[2] From 2004 to 2007 Luxford achieved 16 ITU World Cup podium finishes, including four wins.[3]

2007-2009

In 2007, Luxford was selected to be on Triathlon Australia's short list of athletes to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics.[4] But a leg injury in 2008 ended her bid for the Olympic Games.[5] She rebounded in 2009 by winning the Australian National title[6] and taking fifth in the ITU World Championship Series (WCS) Grand Final to finish 10th overall in the final WCS rankings.[2]

Luxford during this time obtained her graduate degree in applied law (alternate dispute resolution) from the University of Queensland.

2010-2011

Luxford missed out on achieving some of her goals in 2010. Following two 21st place finishes and a 16th place finish on the WCS race circuit she was forced to withdrawal from the Grand Final race due to trouble breathing from her asthma.[7] She later would compete in the USA Elite National Championships, finishing third.[8] Unfortunately, her season ended shortly thereafter due to a displaced rib fracture and a partially collapsed lung suffered during a visit to a chiropractor.[9] In 2011, Luxford found that she had lost interest and the passion for ITU racing claiming that "women’s racing it seems to have frequently become a test of who can run the fastest after soft pedalling for 40km and having a paddle in the water."[10] She moved on to non-drafting style of racing with her first race being at the Hy-Vee Triathlon where she finished 12th. It was also her first time on a time trial bike, which was lent to her by Mirinda Carfrae.[10]

Non-drafting competition

2012–present

Fully converted to non-drafting triathlon racing Luxford began racing in Life Time Fitness' Triathlon Series (among other races), securing numerous podium finishes.[11] She also took second at the 2012 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.[12] She also began branching out to longer distances races, including the Ironman 70.3 race series. In December 2012 she took first place at Ironman 70.3 Canberra[13] and then she took first place at the Ironman 70.3 Auckland race in February 2013.[14] Luxford continued her strong 2013 season with a second place finish at the Ironman 70.3 European Championship in Wiesbaden and then taking third place a month later at the 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "About". AnnabelleLuxford.com.au. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c "Athlete Biography - Annabel Luxford". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Annabel Luxford Results". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  4. ^ Reid, Andrew (8 July 2007). "Initial triathlon shadow team announced". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  5. ^ Vaughn, Roger (24 April 2008). "Olympic triathletes to miss world titles". Business Day. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  6. ^ Carlson, Timothy (25 March 2009). "Atkinson, Luxford storm Australian Nationals". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  7. ^ "What Counts in Life". luxford-annabel.blogspot.com. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Athlete of the week: Triathlete Laura Bennett is national champion". USA Today. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  9. ^ Hayes, Karl (28 June 2011). "Annabel Luxford and Lisa Marangon lead the Aussie charge at ITU Triathlon Pan American Cup". Trizone.com. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Water Polo, the 'Mini Bike' and New Beginnings". luxford-annabel.blogspot.com. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  11. ^ "Results". annabelluxford.com.au. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  12. ^ Lacke, Susan (10 June 2012). "Potts, Cave Take Top Spots At Escape From Alcatraz". Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
  13. ^ "2012 Results: Canberra". World Triathlon Corporation. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  14. ^ "2013 Results: Auckland". World Triathlon Corporation. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  15. ^ "2013 Results: Las Vegas". World Triathlon Corporation. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  16. ^ Krabel, Herbert; Carlson, Timothy (8 September 2013). "Kienle, Hauschildt take Las Vegas". Slowtwitch.com. Retrieved 9 September 2013.

External links

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