Emma Moffatt has put the finishing touches to her ITU World Triathlon Championship Grand Final preparations with a stunning victory in the Hy-Vee $500,000 Des Moines Triathlon in the United States.
Two-time Olympian and two-time former World Champion Moffatt took full advantage of the withdrawal of Great Britain’s Leanda Cave and Sweden’s London Olympic silver medallist Lisa Norden to lead an Australian quinella with fellow Queenslander Melissa Hauschildt finishing second over the Olympic distance non-drafting course.
Moffatt, 29, collected a prize purse of $US100, 000 after organisers dropped the overall prizemoney from $US1 Million to $US500, 000.
Two-time ITU World Champion and London Olympic silver medallist, Spain’s Javier Gomez won the men’s race with former Australian, Greg Bennett, now racing for the USA third and Australia’s Paul Matthews fourth.
Moffatt, the 2008 Olympic bronze medallist, who has switched training camps to join Darren Smith’s group, took the lead in the transition from bike to run in the non-drafting format and won by 1 minute 26 seconds to Hauschildt, telling reporters after the race: “I didn’t really look back….but I couldn’t ease off.
“It’s definitely a different type of racing….it’s up to yourself and you can’t sit back and draft off people….I didn’t know I had it in me….I’m pretty happy.”
Another of Australia’s Elite women’s team members for this month’s ITU World Championships finale, Moffatt’s fellow London Olympian Emma Jackson wound up her preparations with a sixth place for her team Parthenay in the French Grand Prix event in Somerville.
“There were four girls off the front on the bike and in the end two minutes was just too much to make up on the run,” said Jackson.
Australia will now have four of their elite athletes, Moffatt, Jackson, Felicity Abram and Ashleigh Gentle on the start line following today’s announcement that Erin Densham has withdrawn from the Australian team due to health issues.
Meanwhile Australia’s juniors wound up their London preparations with some encouraging performances in the ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup event in Eton Dorney – the purpose built rowing venue for last year’s Olympics.
In the women’s race it was the Australian girls who joined the French and British girls to dominate the event with Australian champion and Australian Youth Olympic Festival Champion Jaz Hedgeland taking silver, just two seconds behind Cassandra Beaugrand (France) with Sophie Coldwell (GBR) third and the three other Australians Jodie Duff sixth, Holly Grice 11th and Sophie Malowiecki 13th respectively.
Beaugrand came out of the swim alongside Grice, lost ground on the bike but took control early in the run to hang on to win ahead of the fast-finishing Hedgeland, who just ran out of road.
There was good news for Queenslander Malowiecki before the race with the original reserve on the Australian team, claiming a last minute start for London following a late withdrawal giving the Australians a maximum four in the PruHealth World Junior Triathlon Championships with Malowiecki joining Hedgeland, Duff and Grice.
Tasmania’s National Junior Champion and Australian Youth Olympic Festival Champion Jacob Birtwhistle was the best of the Australian boys in fourth place, 11 seconds adrift of bronze; with Luke Willian sixth, Joel Tobin-White 31st and Matt Baker 34th.
Birtwhistle (15 minutes 07 seconds) and Willian (15.11) clocked the two fastest five-kilometre run splits after trailing the leaders out of the 750m swim and after the 20km bike by around 30 odd seconds.
In the end it was British pair Gordon Benson taking the gold medal in 56 mins 11 seconds from team mate Grant Sheldon (56.16) and Italy’s Dellan Stateff (56.27) with Birtwhistle fourth in (56.38) and Willian sixth (56.49).
The 2013 ITU World Championships will be staged in London between September 11 and 15.
Australian Elite Triathlon Team 2013 ITU London World Triathlon Championships, London, September 11-15
Women:
Felicity Abram (QLD)
Ashleigh Gentle (QLD)
Emma Moffatt (QLD)
Emma Jackson (QLD)
Men:
Aaron Royle (NSW)
Ryan Bailie (NSW)
Cameron Good (NSW)
Dan Wilson (QLD)
Australian Under 23 Triathlon Team - 2013 ITU London World Triathlon Championships
Under 23 Women:
Natalie van Coevorden (NSW)
Charlotte McShane (NSW)
Tamsyn Moana-Veale (NSW)
Grace Musgrove (National Talent Academy, NSW)
Under 23 Men:
Declan Wilson (National Talent Academy, ACT)
Ryan Fisher (QAS, QLD)
Matt Brown (QAS, QLD)
Australian Junior Triathlon Team - 2013 ITU London World Triathlon Championships
Junior Women
Jodie Duff (National Talent Academy, QLD)
Holly Grice (QLD)
Jaz Hedgeland (National Talent Academy, WA)
Sophie Malowiecki (National Talent Academy QLD)
Junior Men
Jacob Birtwhistle (National Talent Academy, TAS)
Joel Tobin-White (VIS, VIC)
Luke Willian (QAS, QLD)
Reserve: Matt Baker (National Talent Academy, NSW)
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