Europeans on top in Seoul
Jan Frodeno of Germany, who won four-man finish line sprint for Olympic gold in Beijing two years ago, won an even closer sprint to the finish with one stubborn competitor Saturday for the men’s win at round 2 of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series in Seoul, South Korea. In the women’s contest, Daniela Ryf of Switzerland sprinted past Chile’s 2010 sensation Barbara Riveros Diaz, 2009 ITU World Championship Series winner Emma Moffatt of Australia and New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt for a three-second margin of victory.
The men
While 2008 ITU World Champion Javier Gomez of Spain led out of the swim in the Han River, almost 50 men started the bike together. When brief attempts to break away by Frodeno on the opening lap, Ivan Rana of Spain on Lap 2 and midway by Mark Fretta of the United States all failed, 57 men hit T2 in a rush hour clot.
Frodeno caught up with Australia’s Courtney Atkinson breakaway attempt 2 kilometers into the run, ran step for step with his rival as they carved out a 20-second margin on third place Brad Kahlefeldt. "Courtney went out really hard on the run and it was tough to catch up to him out of transition," Frodeno told ITU Media. "When I finally did, we started working together very well and were able to build a nice gap on the rest of the guys."
As the two leaders hit the blue finishing carpet Atkinson broke first, but 30 meters from the end Frodeno turned on the afterburners and eked out the win as both men were timed in equal 1:51:49. "I just wanted to hold on until the finish line," Frodeno told ITU Media. "I had a bit of confidence in my sprint. It was a nice long finishing straight which really played into my favor."
Atkinson said he didn’t plan to take it out solo on the run, but opportunity knocked and he answered. “When I found myself in a good spot out of transition I decided it was a good idea to get to the front and spread things out,” he explained to ITU Media.
Frodeno and Atkinson were both timed in the low-29 minute range on a course advertised as 10 kilometers.
Kahlefeldt rounded out the podium, 28 seconds later, with Steffen Justus of Germany 4th, four seconds further back, and Alexander Brukhankov of Russia 5th, another 7 seconds in arrears.
Bevan Docherty, who won the first round of the 2010 ITU World Championship Series in Sydney, was 7th in 1:52:39, and the USA’s Jarrod Shoemaker was 8th in 1:52:43.
After two rounds of the 2010 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series, Brukhankov with his 2nd and 5th place finishes leads in points with 1326. Docherty with his 1st and 7th finishes, is second with 1301. Dimitry Polyanksy of Russia is 3rd with 1175, Kahlefeldt is 4th with 1052 and Frodeno is 5th with 871.
The women
Auburn University super-swimmer Haley Peirsol of the USA led out of the two-lap swim in the Han River, with fellow American Sarah Haskins and Kerry Lang of Great Britain a few seconds back – 40 seconds ahead of a chase group that included Daniela Ryf of Switzerland, WCS round one surprise winner Barbara Riveros Diaz of Chile, 2009 WCS 3rd place finisher Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand, and 2009 WCS champion Emma Moffatt of Australia.
Peirsol, Haskins and Lang cycled mightily, but after the first of 8 laps their lead had been cut to 23 seconds. By lap three, 16 chasers caught the leading three, and by lap five, they were joined by another 11 contenders forming a final pack of 30.
By the first kilometer of the run, Moffatt accelerated into a 20-second lead. Moffatt held grimly to a 13-second margin halfway through the 4-lap, 10k final leg, pursued by Ryf, Riveros Diaz, Hewitt, Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, Mariko Adachi of Japan and three-time ITU World Champion and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Emma Snowsill of Australia, back in action after an 10-month hiatus due to injury.
"I felt really good at the start of the run," Moffatt told ITU Media. "But I definitely started to suffer on the final lap."
Riveros Diaz, at 4-feet 11-inches the shortest woman on the ITU circuit, and Hewitt caught the leader at the 8k mark. The encounter was a reunion of sorts as Riveros Diaz, Hewitt and Moffatt made up the podium at Sydney. Ryf, Spirig, Adachi (who was also among the 4-woman run break at Sydney) and Snowsill were a few meters behind.
After the final turn, Ryf surged to the front and crossed the line in 2:00:59 for the win. "I was really suffering toward the end," Ryf told ITU Media. "I'm so surprised I was able to pull it out. I just tried to focus on my technique to keep it together at the end."
Riveros Diaz, proving she is no flash in the pan, took 2nd three seconds later. "My goal is to be consistent this year, so I'm very happy with my result today," Riveros Diaz told ITU Media. "I just have to keep working hard and remember that it's a year-long process."
Moffatt’s 2:01:04 finish held off Spirig for 3rd place by one second – the defending champion’s second straight 2010 World Championship Series 3rd place finish.
In her return to competition after a long layoff, Emma Snowsill took 6th, just 11 seconds off the winner’s pace.
Sarah Haskins was the USA’s top finisher, taking 10th place, 1:03 behind the winner.
After two races in the 2010 Dextro Energy Triathlon World Championship Series, Chile’s Barbara Riveros Diaz and her 1-2 finishes leads with 1540 points, followed by Emma Moffat with 1370, Andrea Hewitt with 1326, Daniela Ryf with 1229 and Mariko Adachi with 1134.
Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Seoul
Seoul, South Korea / May 8 2010
Top 10 men
1. Jan Frodeno (GER) 1:51:49
2. Courtney Atkinson (AUS) 1:51:49
3. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 1:52:17
4. Steffen Justus (GER) 1:52:21
5. Alexander Brukhankov (RUS) 1:52:28
6. Dmitry Polyansky (RUS) 1:52:34
7. Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:52:39
8. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:52:43
9. Reto Hug (SUI) 1:52:43
10. William Clarke (GBR) 1:53:07
Top 10 women
1. Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2:00:59
2. Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) 2:01:02
3. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:01:04
4. Nicola Spirig (SUI) 2:01:05
5. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2:01:06
6. Emma Snowsill (AUS) 2:01:10
7. Mariko Adachi (JPN) 2:01:16
8. Jessica Harrison (FRA) 2:01:31
9. Helen Jenkins (GBR) 2:01:44
10. Sarah Haskins (USA) 2:02:02
