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Terenzo Bozzone returns to racing with a win at Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney

Nearly five months following a horrific crash, Bozzone wins Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney

Nearly five months following a crashTerenzo Bozzone returned to racing on Nov. 25, 2018, at Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. His return to competition was nothing short of remarkable, one that concluded with a victory.

The professional men’s field at Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney, included a wealth of Australian talent. For Bozzone, his main competition would come from Sam Appleton, an 11-time 70.3 champion, and one of the pre-race favourites going into the race.

Bozzone and Appleton came out of the water one-two, and the two broke away from the rest field on the bike. Leaving T2, Appleton was right with Bozzone, but Bozzone pulled away in the half marathon to win the 2018 Ironman 70.3 Western Sydney event.

Men’s Podium 

  1. Terenzo Bozzone 3:43:26
  2. Sam Appleton 3:45:38
  3. Casey Munro 3:53:26

Women’s Podium

  1. Radka Kahlefeldt 4:12:25
  2. Hannah Wells 4:16:44
  3. Grace Thek 4:19:35

Bozzone’s journey back to competition has been marked with many highs and lows. On June 3, 2018, in Kumeu, New Zealand, Bozzone was struck by a truck while training on his bike. The five-time world champion sustained a number of injuries in the crash, including a broken eye socket, concussion and multiple wounds to his body.

Related: Update on Terenzo Bozzone’s injuries

On July 12, 2018, Bozzone had facial surgery to repair a broken cheekbone. The operation required three titanium plates to be placed in his face. A wire was also inserted into his hand to help mend a broken bone.

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Thanks for all your love and support over the past 3 weeks. I needed a little downtime to rest, repair and recover. After 3 titanium plates in my face and a wire in my hand a week ago, I am well on the mend and itching to get back training. I have a great team monitoring my health and concussion recovery and I am hopeful that I will get the go ahead to ramp up the training in the next couple weeks. The rest of the season is still a big ❓but once I find my feet I’ll let you know the plan… I can’t thank the police enough for all their hours put into the investigation. Unfortunately we aren’t any closer to finding out what happened and I can’t remember a thing, but I am so thankful to be here and I will make a full recovery. A huge huge thank you to all the doctors, nurses, surgeons and first responders who looked after me so well, I will be forever grateful. ?? #carpediem #thankyou #terenzo #triathlon #ironman

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After three months of rehab, Bozzone made the trip to Hawaii with the hopes of competing at the 2018 Ironman World Championship. However, just three weeks away from the championships, Bozzone decided to withdraw from the race to regain his health and fitness.

Now back competing, Bozzone is grateful for all the support and is ready to take on 2019.