Kerr, Stimpson rule Devonport
Peter Kerr outsprinted Ryan Bailie and Jamie Huggett down the stretch and Jodie Stimpson of Great Britain held off a hard charging Gwen Jorgensen of the USA to take the elite titles at the 2013 Devonport OTU Sprint Oceania Championships.
Rugged, choppy waves failed to break up the men’s swim pack at the 750 meters sprint distance as Aaron Royle (12:41) and Marcel Walkington (12:43), Noosa winner Peter Kerr (12:45) and Brendan Sexton (12:520 led out of the water.
The top four swimmers led the 20 kilometer bike leg alone until Ryan Bailie and Dan Wilson joined them heading into T2 and out on the run. Bailie tried but failed to break away and, with 400 meters to go, Kerr inched away and crossed the line in 1:00:19 with a 4 seconds margin on runner-up Bailie and 7 seconds on 3rd place Jamie Huggett.
Kerr’s second-fastest 15:46 5k run was enough to secure the win, but Declan Wilson’s race-best 15:27 run split made up a lot of ground for his 9th-best swim and 10th-best bike split to finish 4th – 12 seconds back of the winner.
In the women’s race, Aussie Maddison Allen broke away to a 1-minute lead with a race-fastest 10:08 swim, followed by a huge pack of women that included Aileen Reid of Ireland (11:08), Gwen Jorgensen of the USA (11:11) and Stimpson (11:15).
By the bell lap of the 20 kilometer bike, Stimpson and Reid pulled even with Allen and hit the run with a 30-seconds advantage over Jorgensen. On the run, Jorgensen’s proven run speed made short work of Reid and Allen. But in the end, Stimpson’s 17:20 run was best on the day and added 5 seconds to her 53 seconds winning margin on runner-up Jorgensen, who closed with a 17:25 run. Reid’s 18:53 run allowed the Irish Olympian to hold on to third, 43 seconds back of Jorgensen and 14 seconds ahead of fast-closing Charlotte McShane, whose 18:02 5k run was 3rd-best on the day.
Devonport OTU Sprint Oceania Championships
Devonport, Australia
February 23, 2013
.75km swim / 20km bike / 5km run
Men
1. Peter Kerr (AUS) 1:00:19
2. Ryan Bailie (AUS) 1:00:23
3. Jamie Huggett (AUS) 1:00:26
4. Declan Wilson (AUS) 1:00:31
5. Dan Wilson (AUS) 1:00:50
6. Ryan Fisher (AUS) 1:00:58
7. Brendan Sexton (AUS) 1:01:04
8. Cameron Good (AUS) 1:01:10
9. Aaron Royle (AUS) 1:01:14
10. Marcel Walkington (AUS) 1:01:19
Women
1. Jodie Stimpson (GBR) 1:03:34
2. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 1:04:27
3. Aileen Reed (IRL) 1:05:10
4. Charlotte McShane (AUS) 1:05:24
5. Gillian Backhouse (AUS) 1:05:32
6. Grace Musgrove (AUS) 1:05:50
7. Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS) 1:06:32
8. Chloe Turner (AUS) 1:06:43
9. Ellie Salthouse (AUS) 1:06:58
10. Maddison Allen (AUS) 1:07:03
