![Sarah Piampiano](/Assets/Triathlon+Australia+Digital+Assets/WA/Article+images/Sarah+Piampiano.jpg)
As a youngster she looked up to two older brothers who would only let her play with them if she could keep up. Perhaps as a result, the young Piampiano was on the ski slopes by age two, riding a bike by age 3 and attempting to water ski by age 4. Sarah tells the story of struggling to get up on the skis and repeatedly getting dragged underwater as she refused to let go of the rope. Eventually her mother had to step in and call time, carrying her home despite Sarah's repeated pleas to try one more time.
While she was a national level cross country runner and skier in high school, Piampiano would put aside sporting pursuits to climb the corporate ladder. She came to work on Wall Street as an investment banker with HSBC, one of the largest financial services institutions in the world. Piampiano says the role afforded her some amazing opportunities including travelling the globe but it also demanded long hours.
As fate would have it, a conversation with a friend in 2009 would change her life’s course. That friend told Sarah of a triathlon he had registered for and she cheekily wagered that she could beat him, even with no preparation and no training. Piampiano did indeed win the bet and her sporting aspirations were reignited.
By 2011 Piampiano was being coached by Matt Dixon, her coach to this day, and had scaled back her hours with HSBC. The following year she resigned from HSBC to dedicate herself to her sport full-time and become a professional triathlete.
Piampiano’s leap of faith was quickly validated when she won the women's championship at IRONMAN 70.3 New Orleans in the same year and in just her third race as a professional. More great results followed including a solid seventh place at the 2015 IRONMAN World Championship and her first IRONMAN win secured at IRONMAN Western Australia 2015.
Piampiano says that the result in Hawaii in 2015 and the win in Busselton changed her as an athlete.
“I went from aspiring to being at this level to actually finishing in the top ten in the world. My coach and I both really raised the bar after that.”
Piampiano has spent a couple of weeks in Perth ahead of travelling to Busselton to defend her IMWA title and has loved her time here.
“I’ve been swimming with Paul Newsome from Swim Smooth which has been great. I’ve gotten some open water swims in too including the Open Water Swimming Series event at Coogee Beach, which I loved.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Piampiano has a great affection for Busselton.
“I love Busselton and, having gotten my first win there, I’ll always have an emotional attachment to the race. I’ll keep coming back for as long as I can.”
Asked what advice she might give to someone just starting out in triathlon, Piampiano concedes that triathlon can be intimidating at first.
“I remember back when I got started, I had so many questions, so I’d say that joining a community like a club is really important. Being around people who will inspire, motivate and support you definitely helps.”
Reflecting on how far she’s come, Piampiano describes triathlon as an incredibly satisfying sport.
“For a lot of people it allows you to conquer something that scares you. That creates an emotional response and a confidence that carries over to other areas of your life. I can’t imagine anything else making me happier than what I’m doing right now.”
You can see Sarah and a top professional field in action this weekend at IRONMAN Western Australia on Sunday 4 December.
Sarah Piampiano with TWA Clubs & Administration Coordinator, Ineke Moyle.
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