Challenge Samarkand 2025: Women’s PRO Race
Samarkand, 2025 — On a hot morning in ancient Samarkand, the women’s Challenge Samarkand 2025 race turned into a true spectacle of strength, endurance, and the will to win. On the classic middle distance (1.9 km swim, 90 km bike, 21.5 km run), Spanish star Sara Sala Perez delivered a flawless performance, claiming victory with a dominant lead.
Start list
The Challenge Samarkand race annually attracts many renowned PRO athletes, and this year was no exception:
Sara Sala Perez — Spain
Amelia Watkinson — New Zealand
Anna Bergsten — Sweden
Lilli Gelmini — Italy
Marta Łagownik — Poland
Ekaterina Shabalina — Kazakhstan
Bridget Theunissen — South Africa
Chloe Sparrow — Great Britain
Milan Agnew — Australia
Swim: a confident start from Sara
Sara Sala Perez was the first out of the water, showing the strongest swim of the race. She pulled a full minute ahead of her nearest rival, Britain’s Chloe Sparrow — setting the tone for the day. The swim stage took place in clean and calm waters, allowing Sara to maximize her potential.
“The course is beautiful, the water was clean and calm, so the swim felt easy,” shared Sara. “I’m so happy — this is an incredible place, and the organization of the race was world-class. I really enjoyed the event.”
Bike
The first half of the bike course benefitted from a tailwind, making the pace super fast. However, after the turnaround, the athletes were hit with a strong headwind, which made the race significantly tougher.
Despite this, Sara Sala Perez continued to extend her advantage. By the end of the bike, her lead had reached five minutes — an impressive margin for a middle-distance race. Behind her, Chloe Sparrow and Amelie Watkinson were separated by about a minute and a half.
Leaving transition, Sara accidentally dropped her bottle, but as she later smiled, it didn’t affect her concentration. By the start of the run, her lead had grown to more than six minutes.
Run: a strong finish and the battle for the podium
On the run course, Sara Sala Perez remained firmly in control. The course, though flat, was exhausting:
“The bike was flat and fast, but hard because of the wind. The run course was also flat but not easy — in the first half we had a strong headwind, and in the second half the heat really kicked in. Still, I’m very happy to finish first.”
Sara stuck to her coach’s strategy:
“When I started the run, I remembered my coach’s words: ‘Sara, start steady and confident.’ That’s exactly what I did. I didn’t burn out during the race and gave everything in the final lap of the run.”
Amelie Watkinson (New Zealand), despite a weaker swim and a surprisingly modest bike leg, delivered a powerful run to secure second place:
“I knew Sara and I would have completely different tactics. My swim wasn’t great, and usually I’m stronger on the bike, but today it didn’t show. In races like this, you know the run will be very tough, and you just have to keep fighting. In the end, I ran better than I expected.”
Amelie also highlighted the difficult weather conditions:
“The run wasn’t very fast, but given the conditions — headwind at the start and heat at the end — it was a solid result. It’s amazing how much you can still pick up on the way back — anything can happen in a race like this. I also wasn’t sure where Anna was, so I kept my focus. Today I gave it my all.”
Third place went to Swiss athlete Anna Bergsten, who admitted it was a challenging day:
“It was a very hard day and quite a serious race to return to when you’re not in your best shape. But the place is amazing, and I’m proud of how I handled it. Of course, I’d have liked more — in the swim, the bike, and especially the run. I’m not yet physically prepared enough, and the wind and heat had a big impact. I realize I haven’t done enough training volume. But I’m satisfied that I was able to put together a consistent performance and stay composed. My run was far from the best, but I just focused on reaching the finish line. I’m glad I managed to concentrate on the race itself, rather than on what led up to it.”
Results of the women’s Challenge Samarkand 2025 race:
1st place — Sara Sala Perez (Spain)
2nd place — Amelie Watkinson (New Zealand)
3rd place — Anna Bergsten (Switzerland)
Challenge Samarkand 2025 was not just an international sporting event but also a symbol of the growing triathlon movement in Central Asia. The race unfolded under the blazing sun, with strong winds and high humidity — and every finish was a triumph of willpower.
Congratulations to all participants, thanks to the supporters, and we already look forward to Challenge Samarkand 2026, where triathlon will continue to inspire great achievements!
