{"id":46103,"date":"2022-10-07T13:00:35","date_gmt":"2022-10-07T12:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/protriathletes.org\/?post_type=media-releases&p=46103"},"modified":"2023-02-16T11:02:03","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T11:02:03","slug":"pto-applauds-chelsea-sodaro-ironman-win","status":"publish","type":"media-releases","link":"https:\/\/protriathletes.org\/fr\/media-releases\/pto-applauds-chelsea-sodaro-ironman-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional Triathletes Organisation Applauds \u2018Landmark\u2019 Chelsea Sodaro\u00a0Win In Kona"},"content":{"rendered":"

7 October 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n

London, UK: <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO) shared its wholehearted congratulations with new IRONMAN World Champion Chelsea Sodaro this morning, following her fantastic win in Kona \u2013 the first woman or man to win their debut on the Big Island since Britain\u2019s Chrissie Wellington in 2007 and the first win by an American woman since Paula Newby-Fraser in 1996. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PTO CEO, Sam Renouf, led the PTO applause by hailing Sodaro\u2019s achievement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOn behalf of the PTO, I wanted to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Chelsea on her landmark World Championship win in Kona. She may have been a dark horse going into the race, but the manner of her win was emphatic and I\u2019m so pleased for her and her lovely family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard her say after the race that she\u2019s going to concentrate more on her daughter and family for a month or so. When you consider what she’s achieved only 18 months after having Skylar, well, she certainly deserves that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sodaro\u2019s daughter Skylar was waiting for her at the finish and even starred in the post race media interviews, where Sodaro was fulsome in her praise for the support her family has given her.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American PTO World #13 – and only the second mum to win the World Championship in Kona after Natascha Badmann – said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mind is a little bit blown right now. This is the culmination of things being right in my life and having perspective… This is freakin\u2019 incredible, but the greatest gift at the end of the finish line is my little 18-month-old.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a life highlight that I\u2019ll never forget. I\u2019m pretty stoked that I think I maybe get to take the rest of the year off and be a mom for a month or so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sodaro was in fifth place after the 2.6-mile swim and 112-mile bike, then recorded one of the fastest 26.2-mile marathon runs in event history (2:51:45) to win by 7 minutes, 50 seconds over Britain\u2019s Lucy Charles-Barclay (PTO World #4). 2019 World Champion and PTO World #3 Anne Haug rounded out the podium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PTO Paid Maternity Support For Sodaro<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking after her third place in the PTO Canadian Open earlier this year (23 July 2022), Sodaro had highlighted the support she also received from the PTO in the form of its \u2018paid leave\u2019 maternity policy. On crossing the line in Edmonton she said<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI found out about the maternity policy when I was five or six months pregnant. So it wasn\u2019t a factor that went into my decision making when I got pregnant. But when I found out about the policy, it actually made me quite emotional. Because it\u2019s 2022 but we still have so far to go in the way that we support woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut this initiative, you know, it says the PTO cares about women, it cares about female athletes, it cares about keeping us in the sport and seeing us through all the phases of our athletic career. And women peak in our mid to late thirties in this long stuff and so we need the opportunities to be able to stay in the sport. And we shouldn\u2019t have to choose between being world class athletes and being moms. We can do it both. We just need some support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, the PTO followed Chelsea\u2019s return from the birth of her daughter in a short documentary called Greater Than One<\/em>, which you can watch via PTO+<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the PTO Maternity Policy <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n