Amelia Watkinson stormed to a second-place finish at IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong as she continued her budding rivalry with Ellie Salthouse down under.

The New Zealander, ranked #18 in the PTO World Rankings, put in another fine performance over the half-distance in Victoria, Australia.

A tightly contested swim saw Watkinson exit the water in third-place, 11 second behind PTO World #21 Salthouse and six seconds behind Grace Thek.

A quick transition allowed Watkinson to gain an advantage of over a minute to Salthouse heading out on the bike. The two then battled it out on two wheels, Amelia just 10 seconds behind her rival heading into T2.

Another sharp transition allowed Watkinson the leave the area first, leading Salthouse by seven seconds.

However, Salthouse’s prowess on the run soon showed with Watkinson having to settle for the runners-up spot on the podium – 5:06 behind the imperious Australian.

Watkinson’s consistent performances in recent months will have ignited conversations within the Team Internationals’ quartet of captains as they watch over the potential roster.

The 29-year-old will be battling it out with the likes of Paula Findlay, Carrie Lester, Teresa Adam, Sarah Crowley, Hannah Wells and recent nemesis Salthouse for those all-important Collins Cup berths.

“Boy it was finger and feet numbing conditions,” Amelia commented on social media after the event.

“In the right spots out of the water and on the bike️. The legs have already promised to accept their invite to the next one.”

“Feeling completely wrecked and with big appreciation for all for the cheers out there. Steller showing by Ellie Salthouse and kept on my toes by Grace Thek.

“Brilliant having such epic athletes to hit it out with IRONMAN Oceania.”

Here are Amelia’s Weapons of Choice as she looks to cement her status as one of New Zealand’s top triathletes in 2021:

Swim

Goggles: Vorgee
Wetsuit: DeBoer Fjord
Speedsuit: DeBoer Tsunami
Trisuit: Wyn Republic Mojave
Sports Watch: Polar Vantage V2

Bike

Bike frame: Wilier Triestina Turbine
Frame size: Small
Front wheel: Hunt 48 Limitless Aero
Rear Wheel: Hunt TT Disc
Tyres: Schwalbe
Tyre and Tube type: Tubeless
Component Groupset: Shimano
Power meter: Stages
Head Unit: Polar 450
Crank Length: 165mm
Gearing: 55/42 10-25
Helmet: Kask
Pedals: Shimano
Cycling Shoes: Shimano S-Phyre
Saddle: Bontrager
Hydration System: Profile Design
Aero Bottle: Elite CX

Run

Shoes: Asics Metaracer
Heart Rate Monitor: Polar Verity Sense
Sports Bra: Wyn Republic Racergirl