The New Zealanders posted a string of strong results at the latest round of the ITU World Triathlon Series in London overnight, led by Tony Dodds' 8th place finish in a strong men's field and Sophie Corbidge coming home 11th in her WTS debut.
Of the other Kiwis Ryan Sissons was 29th, Andrea Hewitt finished strongly to consolidate her top three world ranking with 6th place, Rebecca Spence was 22nd, Simone Ackermann 43rd and Rebecca Clarke 51st.
 Rebecca Spence on the bike(Photo: Triathlon.org; click to enlarge) |
The sprint distance races took place in cold conditions around Hyde Park, using much of the same course as was used for the 2012 London Olympic Games. The men's race was won by gold medalist on that day in local star Alistair Brownlee and the women's saw the irrepressible Gwen Jorgensen post her tenth consecutive WTS victory in leading the American women to a clean sweep of the podium.
Corbidge was delighted with her debut performance at WTS level, made all the more special by racing in the country of her birth.
"I am stoked, this is my first World Series race and to do so well first up here, I am so happy. I was born here in London, I lived here until I was 15, to come back and race in front of family and friends was just amazing. The crowd was amazing the whole way, really vocal the whole way around with high fives it was awesome, I am really happy."
Hewitt looked back on a day of highs and lows as she ran strongly after riding in the chase group throughout the 20km bike leg.
"It was a mixed performance, I was in the second group on the bike which was frustrating, we were trying to work to catch up but because we were so big nothing was happening and we were 21 seconds behind going on to the run. It was difficult from there and cold as well, my feet were a bit numb and my transition was slow as I couldn't get my helmet. I built into it on the run and picked up a few places though. The competition is tough in these races, being a sprint race, it changes so much to the race a few weeks ago in Yokohama, they are just so different with the 5k run."
Triathlon New Zealand Coach Jon Brown reflected on the New Zealanders efforts.
"Tony found himself in the breakaway, the race was very aggressive the whole way with the groups riding very hard, especially the front group. He displayed good fitness to run well off such a hard bike. He came off the bike and realized he was in a good spot and perhaps was over excited in the first 400m finding himself at the front of the race, but he thrives on feeling confident on what he is doing and sometimes you just have to go for it when feeling good and that is what he did. He ended the first lap in 5th place with a good cushion but lost a little form on the second lap but in terms of his progression towards podium level this was a good step forward and gives him a good understanding of how the race works at the front end, and gives him confidence.
"Ryan's swim was alright, nothing more or less, he wasn't going to make that front group so he was always going to ride with the main group. He struggled a little with the cold conditions and was suffering from a bit of a stitch on the bike and first part of the run, perhaps brought on by the cooler temperatures. He was lacking a little pace on the run though, he felt he could have gone much longer at that speed but was just lacking some speed. While not a great result for Ryan there are some positives to take forward into the second half of the season."
Brown reflected on another consistent showing from the women.
"The women's race was similar to the men with a strong breakaway group working well together, holding a good advantage over the main group. Most of the talent was in that front group, the podium was there at the end of the bike. With one to go Sophie was 7th and Andrea about 10th, Sophie faded a little on the last part of the run while Andrea was getting stronger and managed to salvage a reasonable result out of a situation that wasn't looking good with a 'k' to go. She struggled with the cold and to get into the race but for her, this is a better result than Yokohama given the stronger finish to her run home."
Brown also spoke highly of Rebecca Spence, who only learned she was racing in the 48 hours before the race.
"Rebecca was again impressive, racing on her own without any support, but we are taking a lot of notice of what she is doing and looking to help her as the season goes on. She is getting the results and you have to respect someone who just goes out and gets it done, it is a positive for the sport and should be inspiring for others who want to make that breakthrough.
"Overall then this was a good day for the Kiwis, we are getting results in depth, not relying on one or two people, we are starting to broaden the depth – especially in the women. We now have a number who on their day can challenge for a top ten spot. We are still missing Nicky Samuels as well."
