Densham shines at Mooloolaba
It has been a few years since Erin Densham was in peak form, but the 2008 Australian Olympian seems to have timed her comeback well as she dominated a strong field at the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup.
Densham, the ITU 2006 Under 23 World Champion, arrived with a star-packed front pack of a dozen top riders at T2, then broke away with a race-best 34:48 run that brought her to the finish in 2:03:32 with a 52-seconds margin on runner-up Nicola Spirig of Switzerland and 59 seconds on ITU star and third place finisher Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand.
Also behind Densham’s flying feet were certified American stars Laura Bennett (7th), Gwen Jorgensen (8th), two-time ITU World Champion and 2008 Olympic bronze medalist Emma Moffatt (9th) and Swedish ITU star Lisa Norden (10th).
Densham’s 34:48 run was notable not only for the fact that she outran Spirig by 54 seconds and Hewitt by 57 seconds – she was just 3 minutes 5 seconds slower than the fastest men’s time posted by winner Laurent Vidal – a margin reminiscent of the best days of Emma Snowsill and Vanessa Fernandes.
Apart from her 2006 Under 23 World Championship gold medal, this win may be more important than Densham’s other career highlights that includes a win at the 2010 World Cup in Holten, a 2nd at the 2008 Ishigaki World Cup, a 2nd at the 2007 Mooloolaba World Cup, a 4th at the 2008 ITU World Championship and a 22nd place at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
That is because Densham has been fighting a relative slump dotted with DNFs and is coming good at the crucial weeks before the final 2012 Olympic selection.
While Densham’s performance must register well with Australian selectors, they will place more weight on the Sydney round of the ITU World Championship Series race in three weeks. Several top Australian hopefuls including Emma Jackson, Felicity Abram and defending Olympic champion Emma Snowsill – who did not race at Mooloolaba – will be fresh and primed for battle.
“I wasn’t giving them a message, I was just running my race and doing what I normally do, what I know I can do. Whether that impresses them or not I don’t know, but it’s in their frame of mind now, I just did what I had to do. I love to run fast, it’s enjoyable, it hurts but it’s enjoyable,” said Densham when asked how this win might impress the Olympic selectors.
Mooloolaba ITU World Cup
Mooloolaba, Australia
March 25, 2012
S 1.5 k / B 40k / R 10k
Results
Elite Women
1. Erin Densham (AUS) 2:03:31
2. Nicola Spirig (SUI)) 2:04:23
3. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2:04:29
4. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 2:05:17
5. Rachel Klamer (NED) 2:05:20
6. Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2:05:30
7. Laura Bennett (USA) 2:05:35
8. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 2:05:40
9. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:05:49
10. Lisa Norden (SWE) 2:06:12
35. Kaitlin Shiver (USA) 2:12:38
