Emma Moffatt upstaged her more celebrated training partner, Olympic champion Emma Snowsill, as the Australian pair blitzed the field in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship race in Washington DC.

Moffatt executed a near-perfect race, emerging from the water in second place after the 1500-metre swim, settling well in the lead pack during the 40km ride and striding to the lead early in the 10km to assert her authority. Two US athletes, Sarah Haskins and Mary Beth Ellis, had ridden aggressively at the end of the bike leg to open up a 25-second lead, but Moffatt reeled them in over the first few kilometers of the run and powered on to win convincingly.

“It’s a nice little change,” Moffat said of reversing the tables on Snowsill to claim her third major ITU race victory. “It’s nice to come away with a win because it’s a bit of a surprise. The conditions were good – not too hot, a little windy, but it was a good day for racing.”

“I felt comfortable on the bike and I had a smooth transition from the bike to the run. I like to go out reasonably hard at the start of the run and fortunately that paid off today.”

It was a different story for Snowsill, who was battered in the swim and emerged in no man’s land in ninth place out of the water. She was initially forced to ride by herself before linking with a chase pack that included some quality riders. Together they worked well to haul in the seven pacesetters, which included Moffatt. It took Snowsill some time to find her rhythm on the run but the classy Queenslander steadily worked her way through the field to take silver, comfortably ahead of Daniella Ryf of Switzerland.

“My first couple of hundred metres were okay in the swim, but I got pretty beaten up after that and copped a couple of kicks, so I didn’t feel great out of the water,” Snowsill said.

“Riding alone for a while didn’t help because I burnt some energy, but I managed to get in a group and we worked together to make up some time. When I’m coming off a big block of training it takes me a while to work into the run and that was certainly the case today. Moffy flew out of the blocks and was gone that quickly no-one was going to catch her.

“It was a tough day, but that’s racing. You learn to deal with whatever’s thrown at you and you do your best to come back from it. ”

Annabel Luxford’s day was marred by misfortune, suffering a puncture when she was firmly entrenched in the lead bike pack over the closing stages. Erin Densham withdrew on the eve of the race due to sickness.

RESULTS:  DEXTRO ENERGY TRIATHLON – ITU WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Race 3 in Washington, DC, USA

1 .  Emma Moffatt ,  Australia

2.  Emma Snowsill , Australia

3. Daniella Ryf , Switzerland

4. Sarah Haskins,  USA

5.  Helen Jenkins,  GBR

6.  Andrea Hewitt , NZ

BLK1 Article: TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA Photographer: DELLY CARR

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Atkinson vs. Gomez at the 2009 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship.

Australian veteran Courtney Atkinson held off reigning world champion Javier Gomez to win silver in the second race of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Madrid, but the day belonged to Great Britain youngster Alistair Brownlee.

A blistering opening to his 10km run set up a maiden World Cup victory for Brownlee, following a top five finish in the swim and a number of attacking raids on the bike. His stunning performance left Atkinson with the task of outsprinting Gomez in front of his home crowd and the Queenslander pulled away over the final 500 metres to take second place.

“I’m ecstatic with that – it was an awesome race,” said Atkinson. “When I’m fresh, I know I’ve got a good kick, so I thought I would just try and sit on Javier and see how I could go at the finish. I didn’t want to get into a dual with him over a long period because he’s such a solid runner and been one of the best in the world for such a long time. I’m not sure where he’s at in terms of his fitness at the moment, but I’m pretty happy with a silver medal.”

Atkinson exited the water aggressively to ensure he was among the leaders as they began the climb at the start of the 40km bike ride. The challenging course and solid pace meant some contenders dropped off over the opening laps, leaving 11 athletes, including Atkinson and up-and-coming Queenslander James Seear, together with four Russians, Gomez and Brownlee with a break on the field.

Cycling takes place at the 2009 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship

A large chase pack which included fellow Aussie Brad Kahlefeldt and Olympic gold medallist Jan Frodeno failed to make any significant inroads, consigning that group to a deficit of a minute and a half as they began the run.

The medal ceremony at the 2009 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship.

Kahlefeldt, who claimed silver in a photo finish in the series opener in Tongyeong, South Korea, was just unable to tag onto the back of the lead pack at the start of the bike leg, in what proved a crucial blow to his chances. He made up significant ground over the final stages to finish ninth, while Seear was passed by Frodeno with 50 metres to go to finish just outside the top 10.

Triple world champion Peter Robertson had a poor swim, emerging a minute behind the leaders and pulled out of the race towards the halfway stage of the bike leg. Victoria’s Gareth Halverson finished 22nd.
BLK1 Article: TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA Photographer: DELLY CARR

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Images: © AFP 2008 /2009/ 2010 Article: © BLK1 2009. All Rights Reserved.