User:Mmehnert1/Laura Bennett (Triathlete)

 Laura Marie (Reback) Bennett (born 25 April 1975, in North Palm Beach, Florida) is an American professional Triathlete. She placed fourth in the women’s triathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She is currently the highest ranked American triathlete in the women's Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series Rankings. She was an All-American swimmer for Southern Methodist University, and ran track and cross country in high school. She turned pro in 1999 after placing as the the second U.S. amateur at the 1997 World Championship. As a professional, Bennett has been racing on the ITU Olympic distance, draft legal racing circuit. She earned a silver medal at the World Triathlon Championships in 2003 and bronze medals in 2004, 2005, and 2007. She has also raced as a professional at the Half-Ironman distance, placing 5th at the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championship.

Education
Laura Bennett attended Cardinal Newman High School (West Palm Beach, Florida) where she ran track. For college, she attended Southern Methodist University where she swam and pursued a finance degree. She graduated in 1997 with a BS in finance.

Early Career
Bennett took up swimming at age 12, and was a distance runner in high school, where she was the Florida state champion in the mile and two mile for two years in a row. Bennett continued competitive swimming in college as a member of the swimming team at Southern Methodist University. She served as a co-captain, and was a member of the 1997 NCAA champion 400 medley relay. In 1993, she was a member of the USA Triathlon Junior National Team, and was voted the USA Triathlon and Triathlete Magazine Junior of the Year in 1994. In 1997, after completing college, she was the second U.S. amateur at the World Championship in Perth, Australia.

Professional
Bennett has competed on the ITU racing circuit since 2001. She earned a silver medal at the World Triathlon Championships in 2003 and bronze medals in 2004, 2005, and 2007. She first earned a spot on the Olympic team as the second alternate for the U.S. triathlon team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and as the first alternate in the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, she was the first American to qualify for the team, by placing first in the Beijing 2007 trials. At the games, she placed fourth with a time of 2:00:21.54. She was selected as the 2010 Olympic/ITU Female Athlete of the Year for her consistent performances and end of season ranking during the 2010 racing season. In 2010, the ITU first started keeping track of segment rankings to reward the best athlete in each of the three disciplines throughout the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series. Bennett ranked first in the swim rankings 2010 season. She is currently the highest ranked American triathlete in the women's Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series Rankings.

ITU Competitions
The following list of Bennett's results is based upon the official ITU rankings and the Athlete's Profile Page. Unless indicated otherwise, the events are triathlons (Olympic Distance) and belong to the Elite category.

Half Ironman
Laura and her husband Greg both made their Half-Ironman debuts together at the Augusta 70.3 race in 2009. Laura won in a time of 4:18:36, just six seconds ahead of runner up Kelly Williamson, qualifying her for the 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championship. Bennett placed 5th at 2009 Ironman 70.3 World Championship with a time of 4:07:39.

Personal
Laura Bennett is married to Australian triathlete Greg Bennett (triathlete). Laura's father, Paul, and older brothers, David and John, have also competed in triathlons.