Dan Hoy has raced superbly well to win silver for New Zealand at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, the first medal for the New Zealand team in Nanjing, missing out on gold in the tightest of sprint finishes in energy sapping conditions today.
The 16 year old was credited with the same time as Ben Dijkstra (GBR) but was adjudged to have won the silver in a photo finish.
 Ben Dijkstra and Dan Hoy sprinting for the line(Photo: Scott Taylor / ITU; click to enlarge) |
Hoy (Auckland) was consistent throughout the race, emerging from the 750m swim in 6th place. The rain started to come down in Nanjing and the group bunched on the bike. Hoy attempted to surge away from the group a number of times in the 20km cycle leg, but eventually settled in to riding with the group to conserve energy.
The tactical move in the cycling paid off in the 5km run. "I was feeling pretty good going into the run," said Hoy. "I backed myself for a sprint finish because I knew I had the raw speed coming from my track background."
Eventual winner Ben Dijkstra kept pace with Hoy and they surged away from the rest of the field coming into the final 250 metres. It was a sprint finish and both crossed the line in 54:43. It was only a photo finish that gave gold to Dijkstra and silver to Hoy.
According to Hoy's coach Nathan Richmond, the race was "textbook" with the Kiwi athlete's transitions some of the quickest in the field.
"We couldn't have put forward a better campaign," said Richmond. "He left his soul out there."
New Zealand's Aaron Barclay won gold in the triathlon at the last Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, 2010.
Hoy's running prowess is well known throughout age group athletics and schools sporting circles, having last year broken a 36 year old record in winning the junior 1500m final at the National Schools Champs running for Westlake Boys High, his time of 3:58.96 quicker than the senior race.
Triathlon is Hoy's preferred sport however and the Nathan Richmond coached athlete has for over a year now been involved with the Tri NZ development programme, attending camps in Cambridge, working within the Tri NZ High Performance 2020 strategy and athlete pathway.
Hoy will now team up with fellow Kiwi Lizzie Stannard and two Australians when they take on the world in the Mixed Team Relay on Thursday, that race going at 1pm NZT.
Results: Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, Youth Men Triathlon
1. Ben Dijkstra (GBR) 54:43 (photo finish)
2. Dan Hoy (NZL) 54:43
3. Emil Deleuran Hansen (DEN) 54:49
