India Lee, the British pro, is eagerly anticipating continuing her trajectory upwards in 2024. This includes aiming for both the PTO Tour and the first-ever women’s IRONMAN World Championship in Nice.
Lee has made the successful transition from short course triathlon to middle and long distance, with the help of the Professional Triathletes Organisation. In a recent interview with TRI247, she is optimistic that the expanded PTO Tour in 2024 can further propel her career.
No ‘one-hit wonder’
In 2023, Lee emerged victorious at Challenge Family’s ‘The Championship’ in Samorin. She also secured a runner-up spot in only her second full-distance race at IRONMAN Florida. Additionally, she achieved a top 10 spot in the PTO European Open in Ibiza. As a result, she concluded the year at #15 in the PTO rankings, a significant leap from #41 at the start of the year.
She attested, “Samorin was a good day, I was pretty pleased with that. I felt like I’d been building towards it so to get a result like that was pretty cool. I think the PTO race in Ibiza had given me a big boost in confidence, and then being able to back it up a few weeks later really solidified it and showed I wasn’t a one-hit wonder!”
![India Lee wins the Challenge Championship in Samorin 2023 [Photo credit: Activimages / Challenge Family]](https://www.tri247.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/India-Lee-wins-the-Challenge-Championship-in-Samorin-2023.jpg)
India Lee takes the win in Samorin [Photo credit: Activimages / Challenge Family]
Lee’s performance at IRONMAN Florida signified her potential as a serious contender at full distance. Her sights are now set on the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice for 2024.
She has yet to compete in an IMWC, but her role as CEO – “Chief Entertainment Officer” – for Ruth Astle this year has given her a taste of what it’s like. Commenting on this, Lee said, “It was a great training block too, perfect preparation for Florida. And it was good to be out there and get to grips with everything that goes on around the race without actually racing because the pressure was off and I could just take it all in. So when I go back in a couple of years, hopefully, I know what to expect and it won’t be all overwhelming and new.”
Prior to making her Kona debut, Lee will compete in Nice in 2024. She expressed her enthusiasm, saying, “It’s a huge target and has been since they announced that the World Championships were going to rotate between Nice and Kona for the next few years.”