Gold Coast, Australia – Australian Ellie Salthouse will line up at the inaugural Gold Coast T100 Triathlon this Saturday determined to secure the biggest win of her career, targeting victory on home soil in front of family, friends and Australian fans.
After a breakthrough season that proved she belongs among the sport’s elite, Salthouse has emerged as one of favourites for the 2026 T100 Triathlon World Tour opener, following last minute injuries to World #1 and 2025 T100 series winner Kate Waugh (GBR) and runner up Julie Derron (SUI) – as well as fellow Aussie star Ashleigh Gentle announcing that she’s pregnant. Salthouse takes on a 20-strong women’s field that includes 2024 T100 World Champion Taylor Knibb (USA).
After beginning last year with knee surgery, the Brisbane-based Salthouse rebounded with an impressive run of T100 results, including two fourth-place finishes in Wollongong and Qatar, a fifth place on the French Riviera, and sixth overall in T100 Race To Qatar – surpassing her original goal of finishing inside the top eight.
“Coming back from injury and producing those results was huge for me,” said the 33-year-old, talking exclusively to the Countdown To 2026 T100 preview show which is now live on YouTube and will also be shown across the PTO’s global broadcast network this week. “The biggest thing I took away from last season is that I belong at the front of these races.”
A Special Race Close to Home
For Salthouse, currently the PTO World #15, the Gold Coast race carries special significance. Located just an hour south of Brisbane, it represents the closest thing she has to a home event on the international circuit.
“The biggest thing I’m looking forward to is having my family and friends there supporting me,” she said. “It’s really special to be able to race so close to home and hopefully put on a great performance in front of them.”
The Australian has been visualising this opportunity since the inception of the T100 series.
“Every day for the past three years I’ve pictured winning on a home course,” she said. “That’s something I’ve really been working toward.”
Establishing Her Place in the T100
Salthouse’s journey to the T100 start line has been defined by determination. In 2024 she relied on wildcard entries to compete in the series, but strong performances quickly proved she deserved a permanent place on the circuit.
Securing a full contract for the following season became a major milestone, and she has since established herself as a consistent contender at the sharp end of the field.
“The goal was to stamp my name as someone who deserved to be part of the series,” she said. “Getting that opportunity and performing well last year was incredibly motivating.”
Hungry for a Breakthrough Win
With a strong Australian summer training block behind her and valuable experience gained racing the unique dynamics of the 100km distance (2km swim, 80km bike, 18km run) Salthouse enters the Gold Coast T100 confident she can take the next step.
The 100km format has introduced new tactical challenges, with athletes from short-course and long-distance backgrounds competing head-to-head. Adapting to those dynamics has been a key focus of her development. Now, the final piece of the puzzle is a victory.
“I want to win as much as the next person — maybe even more,” Salthouse said. “I haven’t had that T100 win yet and I’m hungry for it. I’ve got fire in my belly.”
When the race begins on the Gold Coast, the friendly and relaxed Australian says her competitive edge takes over.
“Once the gun goes off, I’m ruthless.”
With momentum, experience and the backing of a home crowd, Ellie Salthouse arrives at the Gold Coast T100 ready to turn years of preparation and visualisation into a career-defining win.
The race is part of Event Management Queensland’s expanding portfolio of major sporting events and also features 100km and Olympic distance triathlons for athletes of all abilities as well as 10km run. For more details and to sign up for the last remaining places for the 10km run visit https://t100triathlon.com/gold-coast/participate/
The event is also supported by Experience Gold Coast and the Queensland Government through Tourism & Events Queensland.
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Notes To Editors:
How To Watch
The race starts at 1335 local time on Saturday 21 March (0335 UK) and fans can watch live in Europe through the PTO’s exclusive partnership with Warner Bros Discovery on channels such as Eurosport, TNT Sport in the UK, Max or Discovery+, or through a network of other international, regional and local broadcasters including beIN Sports in MENA and North America, Huya in China, Fox Sports in Australia and ITV in the UK. Which ensures the 2026 T100 races will be shown around the world. Fans can also watch free of charge globally on TriathlonLive.tv. Outside of Europe the T100 Tour will remain available free to watch on YouTube. For a full breakdown of where to watch, please visit: https://t100triathlon.com/how-to-watch/
How the 2026 T100 Triathlon World Tour works:
- Athletes score 35 points for first place to 1 pt for 20th place at each of the races; 2nd – 29 points; and 3rd – 26 points
- The Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final has increased points to up the ante (55 pts down to 4 pts)
- Each athlete’s best three T100 race scores plus the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will count towards the women’s and men’s T100 World Championship titles
- $275,000 USD prize fund at each T100, totalling $2,750,000 across the nine races (1st place – $50,000k; 2nd – $40,000; 3rd – $30,000 at each race)
- The series winners following the Qatar T100 Triathlon World Championship Final will be crowned T100 Triathlon World Champion and collect $100,000 USD from an additional total prize pool of $1,450,000 (2nd – $80,000; 3rd – 75,000)
- Between the T100 race prize fund and T100 Triathlon World Tour pool, the series provides $4,200,000 in athlete compensation, and is distributed in a way that not only rewards the winners, but also recognises the significant achievement of racing at this level
- For more details, visit https://t100triathlon.com/pro-racing/
For Further Information:
PTO – Anthony Scammell E: [email protected]
Events Management Queensland – Adam Gardini E: [email protected]
About Professional Triathletes Organisation (PTO)
The PTO is a sports body that is co-owned by its professional athletes, seeking to elevate and grow the sport of triathlon and take it to the next level. Its T100 Triathlon World Tour was introduced in January 2024 and is designated by World Triathlon as the ‘official World Championship for long distance triathlon’. This is part of a 12-year strategic partnership with the sport’s international governing body to develop the sport and it will grow further in 2027 with the launch of the new Triathlon World Tour. The T100 Triathlon World Tour is a season-long schedule of World Championship level races competed over 100km (2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run), where the world’s best triathletes go head-to-head in iconic locations. In 2026, the T100 Tour will deliver its 9-stop T100 Race To Qatar to: the Gold Coast (21-22 March), Singapore (25-26 April), Spain (23-24 May), San Francisco (6-7 June), Vancouver (15-16 August), French Riviera (19-20 September), Dubai (12-15 November), Saudi Arabia (November) & Qatar (11-12 December). T100 weekends are ‘festivals of multisport’ and feature a range of opportunities for amateur athletes of all levels to get involved. From experienced amateurs tackling the 100km distance to first-time swim, bike and run participants taking on single discipline, untimed events. For more information visit www.t100triathlon.com
World Triathlon
World Triathlon is the international governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon, cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be extraordinary.
About Events Management Queensland
Events Management Queensland (EMQ) is a major event management company wholly owned by the Queensland Government through Tourism and Events Queensland.
Managers of the ASICS Gold Coast Marathon, the Toowoomba Running Festival and the Pan Pacific Masters Games, Events Management Queensland produces high profile, mass participation sporting events that maximise economic and tourism impact to the region.
The events provide an enjoyable and memorable event experience that showcases Queensland whilst maintaining world class event management standards.
