Brownlee and Riveros Diaz win ITU World Sprint titles

Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) and Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) claimed the 2011 ITU Elite Sprint Triathlon World Championship titles at the Lausanne round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series round.

It was Brownlee’s second consecutive title, after he won the inaugural ITU men’s sprint distance race in 2010, but today was his first Dextro Energy Triathlon Series win. Riveros Diaz became the first Chilean triathlete to ever win an ITU World Championship.

ELITE MEN’S REVIEW

Jonathan Brownlee has successfully defended his ITU Elite Sprint Triathlon World Championship and claimed his first Dextro Energy Triathlon Series win in another brilliant day for the Brownlee brothers in Lausanne. While Jonathan held off Javier Gomez to second to claim the second elite sprint world title in history, Alistair Brownlee’s third placed finish was enough for him to take the lead in the overall 2011 ITU World Championship rankings in the penultimate series round.

The results in Lausanne mean that Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee will wear No.1 and No.2 respectively in the Beijing Grand Final in September, and that the men’s 2011 ITU World Championship is one step closer to ending up in the Brownlee household.

In the end it was Jonathan Brownlee’s day in Lausanne though, as he turned in a blistering 14 minute, 24 second run split to fend off Gomez over the 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run. The short swim didn’t do much to separate the field, but a quick transition helped a group of 14 that included Jonathan Brownlee, Alistair Brownlee, Gomez, Alexander Brukhankov, Sven Riederer, David Hauss,Frederic Belaubre and up and coming Namibian athlete Abrahm Louw. But before the end of the bike, the another chase group of 15 caught the leaders, to bring about 30 athletes into T2 before the 5km run.

The Brownlees, Gomez, Riederer and Brukhankov moved to the front quickly and about two kilometres in, Gomez and Jonathan Brownlee made the decisive break. In a thrilling final kilometre, Gomez tried to turn on the pace and get away, but Brownlee stuck to his heels and then sprinted away to finish with the day’s fastest run split which was almost 40 seconds faster than his run split in Lausanne last year.  Gomez took silver while Alistair Brownlee finished third. Canada’s Andrew Yorke finished 21^st (53:30), and Andrew Russell 51^st (55:12).

Overall Alistair Brownlee leads the overall Dextro Energy Triathlon Series rankings by 120 points, with 3085, while Jonathan Brownlee second at 2965 points. Javier Gomez drops to third with 2858. The Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series Grand Final Beijing is on September 10 and 11.

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Lausanne – August 20, 2011

Final Results – Elite Men – 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run

Gold – Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) – 52:23

Silver – Javier Gomez (ESP) – 52:27

Bronze – Alistair Brownlee (GBR) – 52:38

4th – David Hauss (FRA) – 52:41

5th – Alexander Brukhankov (RUS) – 52:42

6th – Laurent Vidal (FRA) – 52:43

7th – Jonathan Zipf (GER) – 52:44

8th – Joao Silva (POR) – 52:52

9th – Christian Prochnow (GER) – 52:55

10^th – Tony Moulai (FRA) – 53:02

21^st – Andrew Yorke (CAN) – 53:30

51^st – Andrew Russell (CAN) – 55:12

ELITE WOMEN’S REVIEW

In the women’s race that followed, Chile’s Barbara Riveros Diaz claimed her maiden ITU World Championship and second career series win with a thrilling come-from-behind sprint finish in Lausanne.

Riveros Diaz had dropped to fourth coming into the final kilometre, as Australian Emma Jackson looked like she had the race wrapped up ahead of New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt and Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins. But Riveros Diaz cranked up the pace with about 500 metres to go, passed Jenkins and Hewitt and then took aim at Jackson. Last year’s Under23 world champion tried to stick with the pint-sized Chilean star, but couldn’t keep up as she crossed the line in a time 58 minutes, 35 seconds.

Jackson meanwhile celebrated her birthday with silver, while Hewitt overtook Jenkins in the final few hundred metres to claim bronze. Jenkins’ fourth placed finish was enough for her to claim the lead in the overall Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series rankings, meaning that she will wear the No.1 heading into next month’s Beijing Grand Final.

Jenkins dominated the early part of the race until fading in the late stages. Another British athlete, Lucy Hall, was first out of the swim and Jenkins was only a few seconds behind, and they had an almost 30-second lead on the main pack heading out of transition. Even after Hall dropped off, Jenkins still raced about half the 20km bike solo, before finally being caught by a pack that included Riveros Diaz, Hewitt and Jackson, as well as Nicola Spirig, Emma Moffatt, Gwen Jorgensen, Emmie Charayron, Lisa Norden and Sarah Groff.

From the start of the run, Jenkins  kept pushing the pace and together with Hewitt, Jackson, Riveros Diaz and Ashleigh Gentle broke to form a leader’s pack of five. That group then led unchanged for most of the run, before the final kilometre when Gentle dropped off and it came down to the tussle between Riveros Diaz and Jackson. It was Riveros Diaz’s second Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series victory, after she won the season opener in Sydney in 2010, also in a sprint finish. Australia ended up with three women inside the top 10, with Gentle in fifth and Felicity Abram in 10th, while the USA had two, with Gwen Jorgensen sixth and Sarah Groff seventh. It was Jorgensen’s third elite race in three weeks, after she won silver in London and then gold at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup last weekend. Canada’s Manon Letourneau finished 40^th (1:02:43), and Chantell Widney 48^th (1:03:49).

Overall Jenkins leads the overall Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series rankings by 201 points, with 2913, with Riveros Diaz second with 2712. Paula Findlay, who did not race in Lausanne, is in third with 2637 points. The Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Grand Final Beijing is on September 10 and 11.

Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Lausanne – August 20, 2011

Final Results – Elite Women – 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run

Gold – Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) – 58:35

Silver – Emma Jackson (AUS) – 58:35

Bronze – Andrea Hewitt (NZL) – 58:37

4th – Helen Jenkins (GBR) – 58:40

5th – Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) – 58:42

6th – Gwen Jorgensen (USA) – 59:02

7th – Sarah Groff (USA) – 59:06

8th – Lisa Norden (SWE) – 59:07

9th – Emmie Chayaron (FRA) – 59:09

10^th – Felicity Abram (AUS) – 59:09

40^th – Manon Letourneau (CAN) – 1:02:43

48^th – Chantell Widney (CAN) – 1:03:49