Glasgow Triathlon Review for Kiwis

Glasgow Triathlon Review for Kiwis

25 July 2014, 10:43AM
Triathlon New Zealand

Glasgow 2014 has got off to a stunning start with the women’s triathlon but for Andrea Hewitt it was the agony of a 4th place finish in a fiercely competitive race for the first trio of medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Jodie Stimpson (England) won gold from Kirsten Sweetland (Canada) with Vicky Holland (England) claiming bronze ahead of a gutsy Hewitt who refused time and time again to be dropped on the 10km run, only losing contact in the final couple of kilometres.

Hewitt was hard to console despite clearly emptying the tank and just missing the medals.

“I have mixed feelings, I wanted a podium, 4th is not a great result. I did my best, I was in that front group on the bike and in the run my legs felt like jelly going up the first hill and I dropped so I had to catch up on the downhill and into transition. I managed to get back on but the hill on the last lap as well, the surges, I just couldn’t go with it.

“I had the feeling on the first lap and then on that last lap, I felt my legs skip, I just couldn’t pick them up to go up the hill so I knew that I was doing my best but couldn’t get up there. I gave it everything and couldn’t do any better.”

Both Hewitt and Nicky Samuels emerged from the water close to the lead with Samuels in a bunch of 5 in front with Hewitt in a similar sized group who wasted no time in chasing down the leaders to form a group of ten. Kate McIlroy was not close enough however and found herself 50 seconds down, isolated with Ashleigh Gentle (Australia) and Ellen Pennock (Canada) and losing time on the leaders.

The teamwork from the New Zealanders was evident, with Samuels looking to cover any threat of a break and Hewitt quick to react within the bunch. The two supported each other and rode sensibly throughout. Lucy Hall (England) did make an attempt to ride off the front with just over a lap to go, but the chemistry from the New Zealanders was good with Samuels, Emma Moffatt (Australian) and Flora Duffy (Bermuda) shutting the move down as the ten hit transition together.

Once on the run ten quickly became six and then five as Aileen Reid (Ireland) was the first to fall away, as Hewitt bravely closed a 20 meter gap after appearing to have been dropped inside the first lap. Simpson, Sweetland and at one point Emma Jackson (Australia) were surging on the front, hurting those chasing.

It was only in the final few kilometres that the medalists sorted themselves out with Stimpson sprinting away from Sweetland for the gold and Holland holding on for bronze ahead of Hewitt and Jackson. Samuels ran home in 10th place with McIlroy in 12th.

Samuels reflected on her day and her chances of being named in the Mixed Team Relay for the early hours of Sunday morning (NZT).

“I played well for the team because to have Andrea in the first group I knew that I had to work on the bike, she really was the medal chance. The decision about the team relay is up to the selectors and whatever decision they make is out of my hands but I have done everything I can to this point.”

Official results will be posted HERE


BROWNLEE BROTHERS MASTER CLASS

A master class from the English Brownlee brothers turned the men’s triathlon in Glasgow into a race for bronze this morning. Alistair was imperious in adding Commonwealth Gold to his Olympic gold in London, with Jonny taking silver and Richard Murray (South Africa) bronze.

It proved a tough day for the New Zealanders with Tony Dodds the best in 10th place, Ryan Sissons in 13th and Tom Davison withdrawing early on the run after emptying the tank in the bike leg.

Alistair and in particular Jonny led the way in the water, immediately stretching the field out behind them with Dodds and Sissons in the main chase pack and Davison further back, facing a solo ride just to bridge to the chasers. That he did though with his by now familiar power and technical ability serving him well as he caught and then rode through and to the front of the chase group, limiting the gap to the leading trio.

Young Scot Mark Austin was the only one to stay with the Brownlees but he paid a big price, dropping off the pace with one lap to go on the bike and from there he was quickly caught by the pack and faded on the run, it was though a brave effort in front of his home fans.

The Brownlees dismount into T2 was as good as anything you will see in the synchronized swimming, and they set off on the run with a lead of a minute. From that point it was a battle for bronze with Richard Murray always favourite to be the quickest of the chase pack.

Alistair made the break from younger brother Jonny midway through the run and was never headed, enjoying the luxury of slowing to a walk on the finish line to gather English and Yorkshire flags as he crossed the line.

Dodds described a day that didn't go to plan.

"That was one of the days, you have these days when you are not as good as you want to be, at the first buoy we're going good but it turned pear shaped and you then have to be mentally really strong and we tried and tried. You just have to do the best you can. We waited for the run and pushed as hard as we could. This sport is so professional now, you have a bad day and you are out the back.

"We will rise to the occasion for the team race on Saturday, we do well as a team and we are a tight unit and I'm sure we have something in the bank for that."

Sissons cut a dejected figure following the race.

“That was pretty abysmal, I put myself in a good position but man I was knackered on the run, that was not ideal and it certainly wasn’t a performance to be proud of, I tried but I had nothing on the run. I was happy with the swim on the first lap and was in the front group but I got spat out. The Brownlee’s were always going to dominate, and they did and it became a bit of a race for bronze. I was hoping to run a lot better, it just didn’t work out.

“I put myself in the front of the chase group on the bike anyway, I knew that is where I wanted to be but at the end of the day it was going to be hard to beat them (the Brownlees), I thought if I could conserve energy and hopefully have a good run the bronze was there, but it didn’t turn out today.”

Sissons was quick to talk of a fight back in the Mixed Team Relay on Saturday night NZT.

“We will go and recover with ice baths and plenty of rest and sleep and look to bounce back in the relay. We struggled in Hamburg (World Champs) a little two years ago in the individual and came back in the team race, we will come out fighting for sure.”

Men's results CLICK HERE

Search