Hauss, Tremblay win Ishigaki
David Hauss of France and Kathy Tremblay of Canada scored breakthrough World Cup wins at Ishigaki Sunday.
The Men
Hauss set up his win with a race-best 16:36 swim, was part of a 7-man breakaway on the bike that ultimately allowed another five man group take a 50-seconds lead into T2, then blasted to the win with a second-best 30:48 run that brought him to the finish in 1:50:06.
"I did it, I said it yesterday and I did it today, for sure it's a great day for me," Hauss told ITU media. " I was really pushing hard on the swim to try to breakaway and that's what I did, then we worked really hard on the bike but behind was faster than us, so after the bike, I thought it would be really hard for me but I thought I'm not pressured so I have to try to go as fast as I can. I was in good shape and was flying, so after two laps I controlled the race, I really enjoyed the last lap.”
Davide Uccellari of Italy charged hard after Hauss while posting a race-best 30:42 run, but fell 4 seconds short to take second place – his career best on the ITU World Cup circuit. Gonzalo Raul Tellechea of Argentina ran a third-best 30:55 to take the final spot on the podium , six seconds ahead of Germany’s ITU veteran Christian Prochnow.
Hauss’s victory was the fifth ITU World Cup win in six months for France –following wins by Jessica Harrison, Carole Peon, and Etienne Diemunsch in 2011 and Laurent Vidal’s gold at the opening round of the 2012 ITU World Cup season at Mooloolaba.
The Women
Coming off a strong 8th place finish at the opening round of the World Triathlon Series in Sydney, Canada’s Kathy Tremblay made a strong bid for Olympic selection with her first ITU World Cup win.
Tremblay won virtually wire to wire as she emerged from the water first in 18:00, rode comfortably with the lead pack of 23 into T2, and broke out front immediately on her way to a race-best 34:49 run that brought her to the finish in 2:05:38 with a 20 seconds margin of victory over runner-up Aileen Morrison of Ireland. Sarah-Anne Brault made it a 1-3 Canadian podium, 5 seconds back of Morrison in third place.
“I just think I’m going to cry in five minutes from now when I’ve realised what happened today,” the 29-year-old told ITU media. “In 17 years that has never happened to me, but I guess you know nothing is taken for granted. If it happened today it’s because I worked really hard. I have a lot of respect for all my competition because I know they do work as hard as me, but I guess today I was just able to put it all together.”
After Tremblay's strong 8th place at Sydney, the points from Ishigaki should jump her several more places on the Olympic qualification points list, which should also put Canada in position to send two women to London. Before Sydney, Canada women had just one spot, earned by its recuperating superstar Paula Findlay.
Ishigaki ITU World Cup
Ishigaki, Japan
April 22, 2012
S 1.5 k / B 40 k / R 10k
Results
Men
1. David Hauss (FRA) 1:50:06
2. Davide Uccellari (ITA) 1:50:10
3. Gonzalo Raul Tellechea (ARG) 1:50:19
4. Christian Prochnow (GER) 1:50:25
5. Ivan Ivanov (UKR) 1:50:30
6. Reto Hug (SUI) 1:50:33
7. Tyler Butterfield (BER) 1:50:36
8. Brent McMahon (CAN) 1:50:36
9. Ryosuke Yamamoto (JPN) 1:50:40
10. Harunobu Sato (JPN) 1:50:50
Women
1. Kathy Tremblay (CAN) 2:05:38
2. Aileen Morrison (IRL) 2:05:58
3. Sarah-Anne Brault (CAN) 2:06:03
4. Gillian Sanders (RSA) 2:06:30
5. Annamaria Mazzetti (ITA) 2:06:48
6. Yuka Sato (JPN) 2:06:54
7. Kathrin Muller (2:07:05
8. Anna Burova (RUS) 2:07:20
9. Pamela Oliveira (BRA) 2:07:24
10. Elizabeth Bravo (ECU) 2:07:30
