Jodie Stimpson (GBR) victorious at season-opening ITU World Triathlon Auckland

Great Britain's Jodie Stimpson started her WTS season in the perfect fashion with a dominant win the Elite Womens race in Auckland on Sunday while Spain's Javier Gomez made it a hat-trick of Auckland wins in the Elite Mens event, and another victory over Great Britain's Jonathan Brownlee.

2014 ITU World Triathlon Auckland Elite Women's Review
Great Britain's Jodie Stimpson produced the perfect start to her 2014 World Triathlon Series season, smashing her way to the 2014 Auckland title on the back of a bike breakaway followed by an even more impressive run.

Last year's overall series silver medallist started the race with the No.1 and her smart decision-making means she will keep it heading into Cape Town. Stimpson was part of a breakaway led by New Zealand's Nicky Samuels and Kate McIlroy that ended-up with a 35-second lead on the rest of the field leaving T2. And Stimpson didn't let up from there, moving 10 seconds ahead of the Kiwi pair just 1.25km to record her second career WTS win in 2 hours 8 minutes and 34 seconds.
Stimpson said training with Samuels had given her an insight into how the race might play out, and she made a decision to go with her and McIlroy when they broke.

"I was lucky enough to do a few sessions with Nicky, so I knew how strong Kate was. And I saw Kate and Nicky and I knew that this was there selection race as well so I was like I can't let those two go, I'm not going to ease up, I've got to get there and that was definitely the defining moment in the race," she said.

"The first lap it was like the worst lap, it was really terrible, I thought god I hope my legs improve. That is definitely one of the toughest courses, I mean that's what the Kiwis are known for, they are awesome riders and it was great to be in a breakaway with those girls today."

Behind Stimpson, Germany's Anne Haug kept up the excellent form she has enjoyed in Auckland. Previously undefeated, the pocket-rocket was one of the last out of the water but rode her way into the first chase across the 40km bike before pulling out another gear in the final two kilometres to claim silver. Great Britain's Helen Jenkins marked her return to the series with an exclamation point, claiming a bronze medal in her first series race since 2012. Click here for a full race recap.

2014 World Triathlon Auckland - 6 April
1.5km swim - 40km bike - 10km run - Final Results - Elite Women    

1. Jodie Stimpson   GBR  02:08:34
2. Anne Haug   GER  02:08:59
3. Helen Jenkins   GBR  02:09:10
4. Sarah-Anne Brault   CAN  02:09:15
5. Sarah Groff   USA  02:09:20
6. Andrea Hewitt   NZL  02:09:21
7. Emma Moffatt   AUS  02:09:35
8. Barbara Riveros Diaz   CHI  02:09:53
9. Alice Betto   ITA  02:10:05
10. Rachel Klamer   NED  02:10:22


Full Results Here

2014 ITU World Triathlon Auckland Elite Men's Review
Spain's Javier Gomez kept his undefeated streak at the Auckland World Triathlon Series intact, recording a comprehensive win over Jonathan Brownlee in the first WTS event of the 2014 season in New Zealand.

Gomez had already recorded wins on the Auckland course in 2012 and 2013, and while pushed for most of the run by Brownlee, proved too strong again on the tough, hilly course. After Mario Mola's New Plymouth World Cup win two weeks ago blemished his completely perfect record in New Zealand, Gomez was happy to be back on top.

"It was another great race here in New Zealand," Gomez said. "I felt really good all the time, the water I felt good, the bike was really hard, some of us worked pretty hard to keep the gap between the second group and during the run I tried many times to drop Jonathan, he was pretty strong, but on the last lap I had something left and I just gave everything and didn't look back. It was a pretty good race."

It was Brownlee's first race of the 2014 season and he gave full credit to Gomez, as they added yet another chapter to their amazing rivalry.

Behind the two sport's heavyweights, a fractured field opened it up for a first-time podium place. While Joao Silva, Mario Mola, Sven Riederer, Steffen Justus and other pre-race medal contenders ended-up in a chase-pack that left T2 two minutes behind the leaders, a trans-tasman battle emerged between New Zealand's Ryan Sissons and a trio of Australians, Dan Wilson, Ryan Bailie and Aaron Royle. While Sissons fell away, the Australian trio ran shoulder to shoulder until the final kilometre, when first Bailie surged, then Wilson and Royle. But Royle backed his sprint, just as when he won the Under23 world title on the Auckland course in 2012. Click here for a full report.