Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle has claimed bronze at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship, charging through the field to finish on the podium in Taupō, New Zealand.

Lining up for her first Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Gentle crossed the line in 4 hours, 3 minutes and 1 second.

American Taylor Knibb (3:57:34) won gold, with Great Britain’s Kat Matthews (3:58.49) taking the silver medal.

The world’s top women took to Lake Taupō on Saturday and Gentle was 44 seconds off the pace in 17th position after the 1.9-kilometre swim.

She started chipping away at the deficit on the bike and by the end of the 90km stage had worked her way up to eighth place.

But it was in the run where Gentle showed her class, with the two-time Olympian storming home to earn a podium finish.

“I’m pretty relieved,” said Gentle, who represented Australia in triathlon at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics.

“I didn’t really know how that was going to pan out but I’m really proud with how I held it together.

“To come away with a podium is just the icing on the cake.”

Gentle’s fellow Australian Ellie Salthouse registered her best Ironman 70.3 World Championship result, finishing seventh in 4:07:48.

Melbourne’s Grace Thek placed 10th in 4:09:08.

The men’s race will be held on Sunday.

AAP