Flash da Auckland: ‘Buona la prima’, per l’azzurra Alice Betto (G.S.Fiamme Oro) che si è imposta nella top ten della gara di apertura del circuito di campionato del mondo di triathlon olimpico, corsa questa notte ad Auckland, in Nuova Zelanda, conquistando la 9^ posizione assoluta.
Brava Betto! Un risultato che conferma quanto di importante ha espresso lo scorso anno a livello mondiale - in evidenza il quinto posto assoluto nella Finale ed il 10° del rank generale di WTS - e che ripropone nella gara in Nuova Zelanda, un’ Alice ai suoi ottimi livelli anche in questo avvio di nuova stagione.
Purtroppo da segnalare il ritiro dalla gara dell’altra portacolori delle Fiamme Oro, l’azzurra Anna Maria Mazzetti, che non ha completato la sua prova.
Brava Betto! Un risultato che conferma quanto di importante ha espresso lo scorso anno a livello mondiale - in evidenza il quinto posto assoluto nella Finale ed il 10° del rank generale di WTS - e che ripropone nella gara in Nuova Zelanda, un’ Alice ai suoi ottimi livelli anche in questo avvio di nuova stagione.
Purtroppo da segnalare il ritiro dalla gara dell’altra portacolori delle Fiamme Oro, l’azzurra Anna Maria Mazzetti, che non ha completato la sua prova.
La vittoria è andata alla britannica Jodie Stimpson, mentre nella gara maschile lo spagnolo Javier Gomez ha conquistato l’oro: due grandi protagonisti che sono tornati a dare spettacolo al fianco di tanti altri campioni che hanno preso parte all’esordio del massimo circuito mondiale: il podio della gara femminile si è completato con ‘nomi noti’ della scena internazionale, il secondo posto è andato alla tedesca Anne Haug ed il terzo all’altra inglese Helen Jenkins; alle spalle del fuoriclasse Gomez troviamo, al suo esordio stagionale, il giovane Jonathan Brownlee 2°, mentre sul terzo gradino è salito l’australiano Aaron Royle.
| Pos | First Name | Last Name | Country | Time | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jodie | Stimpson | GBR |  | 02:08:34 | 00:20:03 | 00:00:55 | 01:11:29 | 00:00:28 | 00:35:38 |
| 2 | Anne | Haug | GER |  | 02:08:59 | 00:20:42 | 00:00:52 | 01:11:36 | 00:00:28 | 00:35:19 |
| 3 | Helen | Jenkins | GBR | | 02:09:10 | 00:19:58 | 00:00:56 | 01:12:17 | 00:00:30 | 00:35:28 |
| Pos | First Name | Last Name | Country | Time | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Alice | Betto | ITA |  | 02:10:05 | 00:19:55 | 00:00:55 | 01:12:21 | 00:00:30 | 00:36:24 |
PODIO MASCHILE
| Pos | First Name | Last Name | Country | Time | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Javier | Gomez | ESP |  | 01:54:13 | 00:17:53 | 00:00:53 | 01:04:15 | 00:00:28 | 00:30:42 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Brownlee | GBR | | 01:54:33 | 00:17:51 | 00:00:52 | 01:04:19 | 00:00:26 | 00:31:03 |
| 3 | Aaron | Royle | AUS |  | 01:55:49 | 00:18:02 | 00:00:54 | 01:04:07 | 00:00:29 | 00:32:16 |
Seguono approfondimenti
Questo il resoconto agonistico, da www.triathlon.org:
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. It’s pretty amazing really, I wish Non could have been here and I have to say quick recovery to her, I hope she gets back quickly and joins us on the start line, but I’m chuffed with today, I couldn’t be happier.”
Behind Stimpson, Germany’s Anne Haug kept up the excellent form she has enjoyed in Auckland. Previously undefeated, the pint-sized 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.
“I don’t know what it is in New Zealand, I always have a good race,” Haug said. “Today to be honest I didn’t really expect that because of my preparation and I’m more than happy I mean my race was down after the swim, I saw I was in the second pack which was my big, big goal and then I did it and then everything else was cherry on the cake so it’s unbelievable.”
“It’s a really, really challenging course, you can never have an easy part in it. You have to be very careful on the downhill section and I had to push really hard uphill so there’s no time to relax. Everyone is hurting so I mean I give it all and see what’s left for the run and I’m more than happy.
Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins marked her return to the series with an exclamation point, claiming a bronze medal. Jenkins’ first race since the London 2012 Olympics was in New Plymouth two weeks ago, and Auckland marked her first WTS event since before the Olympics.
“I’m so happy. I’ve been picking up the training really gradually and it’s such a great team around me, British Triathlon helping me get back so to be honest I didn’t expect to be on the podium today, but I’m so happy to be here,” she said.
“Marc (Jenkins) said, ‘Look what you’re going to be able to do with a bit more training.’ This is probably the toughest course I’ve ever ridden. I love New Zealand and they produce a really good course and the Kiwi girls rode so strong. Jodie did phenomenal today, I just didn’t have the legs to go with her. I got a bit better as we went on and just tried to hang in there on the run.”
Under perfect blue skies, the opening race of the 2014 World Triathlon Series started with a non-wetsuit swim. Spain’s Carolina Routier took up the position she’s made her own over the past six months of racing, at the front of the pack, but in Auckland there was a large group of athletes right on her tail, including Katie Hursey, Gwen Jorgensen, Helen Jenkins, Emma Moffatt, Sarah Groff, Rachel Klamer and Jodie Stimpson. Together with a quartet of Kiwis, formed a lead group of 18.
While Germany’s Anne Haug had previously been unbeaten in Auckland, taking both the 2012 Grand Final and the 2013 season opening WTS event, she was one of the last to exit the 1.5km swim and left T1 50 seconds behind the leaders. However Haug’s prowess on the bike was again evident, as she partnered with Barbara Riveros Diaz and started to chop seconds off even on the first lap of the bike.
On the second lap, Canada’s Jo Brown kicked off what would be a thrilling bike leg, as she attacked and bridged from the second to the lead pack. That was followed in the third lap by a crash that dramatically impacted the outcome of the race. A crash in the chase pack caught up Jorgensen, Hursey, Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle and Charlotte McShane, and meant that they dropped from near the leaders to a minute behind at the end of the lap, and 30 seconds behind Haug’s group.
But action hadn’t stopped there, as New Zealand’s Kate McIlroy, Nicky Samuels and Great Britain’s Jodie Stimpson made a break on the very next lap. At the halfway point on the bike they had a small 10 second lead on the first chase group of eight, that included Sarah-Anne Brault, Alice Betto, Rachel Klamer, Anja Knapp, Lucy Hall, Emma Jackson, Jenkins and Moffatt, but the trio managed to extend that on the fifth lap to 22 seconds. With two laps left to go, the gap was out to 30 seconds.
Behind that three, the chase led by Riveros and Haug kept up their incredible pace and with just under 10km to go they caught the first chase of eight to form a chase group of 15. At the start of the bell lap of the bike, that group was 35 seconds behind the leading trio. Samuels, McIlroy and Stimpson entered T2 together but Stimpson quickly pushed ahead.
Just 1.25km into the 10km run, Stimpson had 10 seconds on the Kiwi pair who were running shoulder to shoulder. Behind them, the quickest from the chase of the bike was Emma Moffatt, but she was followed closely by Haug, Jenkins and Sarah Groff. While Samuels and McIlroy were swallowed by the chase halfway through, it was Jenkins and Canadian youngster Sarah-Anne Brault who kept pulling further forward.
It wasn’t until the final lap when Haug made her break, and Jenkins followed. Canadian Sarah-Anne Braultrecorded her career best WTS result in fourth. While the crash meant Jorgensen didn’t contend for the podium, she still thrilled with the quickest run split of the day in 34:16.
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. It’s pretty amazing really, I wish Non could have been here and I have to say quick recovery to her, I hope she gets back quickly and joins us on the start line, but I’m chuffed with today, I couldn’t be happier.”
Behind Stimpson, Germany’s Anne Haug kept up the excellent form she has enjoyed in Auckland. Previously undefeated, the pint-sized 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.
“I don’t know what it is in New Zealand, I always have a good race,” Haug said. “Today to be honest I didn’t really expect that because of my preparation and I’m more than happy I mean my race was down after the swim, I saw I was in the second pack which was my big, big goal and then I did it and then everything else was cherry on the cake so it’s unbelievable.”
“It’s a really, really challenging course, you can never have an easy part in it. You have to be very careful on the downhill section and I had to push really hard uphill so there’s no time to relax. Everyone is hurting so I mean I give it all and see what’s left for the run and I’m more than happy.
Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins marked her return to the series with an exclamation point, claiming a bronze medal. Jenkins’ first race since the London 2012 Olympics was in New Plymouth two weeks ago, and Auckland marked her first WTS event since before the Olympics.
“I’m so happy. I’ve been picking up the training really gradually and it’s such a great team around me, British Triathlon helping me get back so to be honest I didn’t expect to be on the podium today, but I’m so happy to be here,” she said.
“Marc (Jenkins) said, ‘Look what you’re going to be able to do with a bit more training.’ This is probably the toughest course I’ve ever ridden. I love New Zealand and they produce a really good course and the Kiwi girls rode so strong. Jodie did phenomenal today, I just didn’t have the legs to go with her. I got a bit better as we went on and just tried to hang in there on the run.”
Under perfect blue skies, the opening race of the 2014 World Triathlon Series started with a non-wetsuit swim. Spain’s Carolina Routier took up the position she’s made her own over the past six months of racing, at the front of the pack, but in Auckland there was a large group of athletes right on her tail, including Katie Hursey, Gwen Jorgensen, Helen Jenkins, Emma Moffatt, Sarah Groff, Rachel Klamer and Jodie Stimpson. Together with a quartet of Kiwis, formed a lead group of 18.
While Germany’s Anne Haug had previously been unbeaten in Auckland, taking both the 2012 Grand Final and the 2013 season opening WTS event, she was one of the last to exit the 1.5km swim and left T1 50 seconds behind the leaders. However Haug’s prowess on the bike was again evident, as she partnered with Barbara Riveros Diaz and started to chop seconds off even on the first lap of the bike.
On the second lap, Canada’s Jo Brown kicked off what would be a thrilling bike leg, as she attacked and bridged from the second to the lead pack. That was followed in the third lap by a crash that dramatically impacted the outcome of the race. A crash in the chase pack caught up Jorgensen, Hursey, Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle and Charlotte McShane, and meant that they dropped from near the leaders to a minute behind at the end of the lap, and 30 seconds behind Haug’s group.
But action hadn’t stopped there, as New Zealand’s Kate McIlroy, Nicky Samuels and Great Britain’s Jodie Stimpson made a break on the very next lap. At the halfway point on the bike they had a small 10 second lead on the first chase group of eight, that included Sarah-Anne Brault, Alice Betto, Rachel Klamer, Anja Knapp, Lucy Hall, Emma Jackson, Jenkins and Moffatt, but the trio managed to extend that on the fifth lap to 22 seconds. With two laps left to go, the gap was out to 30 seconds.
Behind that three, the chase led by Riveros and Haug kept up their incredible pace and with just under 10km to go they caught the first chase of eight to form a chase group of 15. At the start of the bell lap of the bike, that group was 35 seconds behind the leading trio. Samuels, McIlroy and Stimpson entered T2 together but Stimpson quickly pushed ahead.
Just 1.25km into the 10km run, Stimpson had 10 seconds on the Kiwi pair who were running shoulder to shoulder. Behind them, the quickest from the chase of the bike was Emma Moffatt, but she was followed closely by Haug, Jenkins and Sarah Groff. While Samuels and McIlroy were swallowed by the chase halfway through, it was Jenkins and Canadian youngster Sarah-Anne Brault who kept pulling further forward.
It wasn’t until the final lap when Haug made her break, and Jenkins followed. Canadian Sarah-Anne Braultrecorded her career best WTS result in fourth. While the crash meant Jorgensen didn’t contend for the podium, she still thrilled with the quickest run split of the day in 34:16.
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 win 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 and 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.
“It was a tough race today, it was another pure triathlon,” Brownlee said. “I keep using that word and with Javi as I keep saying the thing about him is that I’m always going to see him in the race because he’s going to be out at the front of the swim and he’s a great cyclist and then the run, to be honest he destroyed me today. It’s the first race of the season today and he absolutely killed me, I was hanging most of the way through that and then the last lap he just had more than me. Well done to him, he’s obviously in great shape.”
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.
“I was pretty confident in my sprint finish so I tried to go with about 2.5k to go but they hung on so I just thought no, I’m just going to save it for that final 100 and luckily I got the win for third,” Royle said.
“To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever felt so bad on a bike so to come out there and get on the podium, I was completely shocked but obviously very happy. It was a tough bike, I couldn’t do anything today on the bike, I was totally spent and I got on the run and for some reason I found some legs that I didn’t think I had today so I’m a bit shocked but obviously over the moon to get on the podium.”
The men’s race also started with a non-wetsuit swim and it was Slovakia’s Richard Varga who led the field into T2. A large lead group of almost 20 was whittled down over the next few laps, led by Gomez, Brownlee, Henri Schoeman and Thomas Bishop pushing the pace at the top. At the halfway point it was stripped down to 12. But that wasn’t quite the end of the story in the bike, as New Zealand’s Tom Davison engineered an impressive bridge up to the lead pack. Davison left the swim a minute down from the leaders but showed the form that carried him to a national road cycling championships as he just sliced through the field, towing teammate Ryan Sissons and Australia’s Declan Wilson with him to the leaders.
The lead pack of 15 entered T2 with a lead of over a minute and a half, meaning the medals were secure within the top 15. From there, another thrilling battle between Brownlee and Gomez loomed. They edged away from all chasers early on, before Gomez put down the hammer at 7km and comfortably collected his third Auckland win.
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 win 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 and 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.
“It was a tough race today, it was another pure triathlon,” Brownlee said. “I keep using that word and with Javi as I keep saying the thing about him is that I’m always going to see him in the race because he’s going to be out at the front of the swim and he’s a great cyclist and then the run, to be honest he destroyed me today. It’s the first race of the season today and he absolutely killed me, I was hanging most of the way through that and then the last lap he just had more than me. Well done to him, he’s obviously in great shape.”
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.
“I was pretty confident in my sprint finish so I tried to go with about 2.5k to go but they hung on so I just thought no, I’m just going to save it for that final 100 and luckily I got the win for third,” Royle said.
“To be honest I don’t think I’ve ever felt so bad on a bike so to come out there and get on the podium, I was completely shocked but obviously very happy. It was a tough bike, I couldn’t do anything today on the bike, I was totally spent and I got on the run and for some reason I found some legs that I didn’t think I had today so I’m a bit shocked but obviously over the moon to get on the podium.”
The men’s race also started with a non-wetsuit swim and it was Slovakia’s Richard Varga who led the field into T2. A large lead group of almost 20 was whittled down over the next few laps, led by Gomez, Brownlee, Henri Schoeman and Thomas Bishop pushing the pace at the top. At the halfway point it was stripped down to 12. But that wasn’t quite the end of the story in the bike, as New Zealand’s Tom Davison engineered an impressive bridge up to the lead pack. Davison left the swim a minute down from the leaders but showed the form that carried him to a national road cycling championships as he just sliced through the field, towing teammate Ryan Sissons and Australia’s Declan Wilson with him to the leaders.
The lead pack of 15 entered T2 with a lead of over a minute and a half, meaning the medals were secure within the top 15. From there, another thrilling battle between Brownlee and Gomez loomed. They edged away from all chasers early on, before Gomez put down the hammer at 7km and comfortably collected his third Auckland win.