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Butterfield and Hauschildt take the Long Course Abu Dhabi win and Brownlees tie for the Short Course

Photo: Chris Lepik
Photo: Chris Lepik

Bermuda’s Tyler Butterfield Australia’s Melissa Hauschildt win the Long Course Abu Dhabi International Triathlon while the Brownlee brothers cross the finish line together in the short course.

Butterfield exited the 3km swim at 37:49 with several athletes, including 2014 Ironman world champion and 2013 race winner The lead pack of men including Frederik Van Lierde (BEL), Sylvain Sudrie (FRA), Bert Jammaer (BEL), and Bas Diederen (NED) rode much of the 200 km bike together, leading to a big group starting the run together.  Butterfield’s 1:16:24 split over the 20 km run earned him the victory. He crossed the finish line in 6:43:01. “I still can’t believe it all,” Butterfield said at the finish line. “Freddie [van Lierde] was the strongest on the bike, he raced like a champ. I couldn’t really believe I was leading as I was coming into the finish and was constantly looking over my shoulder to see who was there.”

Jodie Swallow’s fast swim  earned her a three-minute advantage over Michelle Vesterby (DEN), a five-minute advantage over  Hauschildt and a seven-minute advantage over Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED). Swallow carried that lead onto the 200 km bike course but a wrong turn cost her an extra 8 km and the lead. Hauschildt, Van Vlerken and Vesterby exited the T2 within a minute of each other but Hauschildt’s 1:23:30 run split gave her the win in 7:24:50. “It is an amazing race and I’m stoked to come back and win this year,” Hauschildt said. “At 10 km, me and Yvonne were running side by side but then I managed to create a bit of a gap and stay ahead. I never thought I’d actually win until I was holding the finish tape.”

Short Course

Olympic gold medalist Alistair Brownlee defended his short-course Abu Dhabi International Triathlon title, but this time with his younger brother Jonathan. The pair competed side-by-side throughout the race for a total time of 3:12:21.

“Jonny and I both got a good lead out of the swim and we just concentrated and stayed focused on biking as hard as we could,” Alistair said of the race. “We managed to keep going strong on the Yas Marina Circuit, gaining a strong lead before the run leg which really helped us break away and take the lead.”

“Everything in Abu Dhabi is big and impressive and you can say the same about this event,” Jonathan said after the win. “I’ve done the same events for 4-5 years now and so it’s really cool to go somewhere so completely different. Where else can you ride on a F1 circuit and bike in the pits and chicanes? The Yas Marina Circuit was a highlight and, due to the smooth tarmac, allowed me to get up to 65km/h on my bike which I really enjoyed.”

 

Abu Dhabi International Triathlon – Long Course
March 15, 2014 – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
3km swim, 200km bike, 20km run

Men
1. Tyler Butterfield (BER) 6:43:01
2. Bas Diederen (NED) 6:43:47
3. Sylvain Sudrie (FRA) 6:45:06
4. Frederik Van Lierde (BEL) 6:46:12
5. Bert Jammaer (BEL) 6:50:48

 

Women
1. Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) 7:24:50
2. Yvonne Van Vlerken (NED) 7:25:13
3. Michelle Vesterby (DEN) 7:31:39
4. Jodie Swallow (GBR) 7:45:35

 

2014 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon Short Course
March 15, 2014 – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
1.5km swim, 100km bike, 10km run

Men
1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 3:12:21
2. Jonny Brownlee (GBR) 3:12:21
3. Ruedi Wild (SUI) 3:17:00
4. Bart Aernouts (BEL) 3:17:12
5. Ronnie Schildknecht (SUI) 3:17:54

 

Women
1. Svenja Bazlen (GER) 3:34:51
2. Annabel Luxford (AUS) 3:46:02
3. Lisa Marangon (AUS) 3:46:49
4. Jessica Harrison (FRA) 3:54:43