Gomez and Fernandes rock the world
Sunday, 25 May 2008 21:50
Any thoughts that Javier Gomez was in trouble this season were smashed in Madrid yesterday as the hometown hero made a mockery of his 7th place at the European Championships just a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday's stunning victory notches up Gomez's 10th in what is fast becoming a very accomplished ITU career. If the Spaniard's victory sent a shudder through the Olympic field, then surely another Vanessa Fernandes win has Beijing-bound triathletes nervous. Placings further down the field have also sent shock waves through the Australian team.
Fernandes looks unbeatable as she carved out another off-the-front victory, also having the finish line all to herself. Her win also takes her to World Cup leader with 20 wins under her belt.
Mens Race
Gomez became just the fourth man to win ten world cup titles yesterday, joining legends Brad Beven, Hamish Carter and Simon Whitfield. The win also extends his incredible world cup podium streak to 16 races. "It's so special, this is my tenth victory. My first one was here. It was perfect with all the people," said Gomez at the finish line.
After the swim, the men faced tough conditions during the 40-kilometer bike course as a substantial rain storm rolled in. The downpour flooded the transition zone and created cold conditions, forcing many to withdraw from the race. A few men attempted breakaways, but ultimately a group of 20 rode into T2 together.
Russia's Ivan Vasiliev went out on the run course first but was quickly joined by Gomez and Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee and Will Clarke. After the first lap, the Spaniard started to crank up the pace. Brownlee looked like he was trying to match Gomez but soon backed off, not willing to risk a meltdown in such a critical British Olympic selection race.
Gomez powered on, building a 25-second lead on the bell lap to cruise to the finish line and take his third world cup title of the year. Vasiliev took the silver for his second world cup medal of 2008. Brownlee, the 2006 junior world champion, hung on for the bronze, fending off a late charge by compatriot Tim Don. With top-8 performances from both Brits, they will be the front runners for selection to the British team, along with Will Clarke who finished sixth at Madrid.
"I'm absolutely over the moon. I had such a bad start to the season," said Brownlee.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was Christian Prochnow who finished fifth to clinch the final spot on the German Olympic team ahead of established German stars Maik Petzold and Andreas Raelert.
With the tenth place finish, Matt Reed will likely pull the U.S. ahead of Russia for the 8th spot in Olympic country rankings, setting up a spectacular showdown next month in Vancouver for the BG Triathlon World Championships, the final opportunity for athletes to earn Olympic points.
Elite Men Results
- Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:56:25
- Ivan Vasiliev (RUS) 1:56:44
- Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 1:56:53
- Tim Don (GBR) 1:57:04
Women's Race
In another milestone, Portugal's world champion Vanessa Fernandes became the ITU's all-time world cup wins leader after taking out the women's race at Madrid. It was a perfect setting for Fernandes, who set the record at her favourite race. Yesterday's Madrid race also happened to be the historic 200th world cup in ITU history, meaning Fernandes has won 10 percent of all world cups. Her 20th win comes in just her 31st world cup start, an astounding 0.645 winning percentage.
Out of the first transition, a pack of six led by Fernandes attacked the course's early hill and emerged as the race leaders. That group created a 28-second lead after lap one. By the second lap the pack was whittled down to four after Great Britain's Kerry Lang wasn't able to keep up with the punishing pace while Luxembourg's Elizabeth May suffered a flat tire.
Nevertheless, the leaders Fernandes, Hollie Avil and Helen Tucker of Great Britain and Swiss Daniela Ryf continued to put time on the chase group, which was down by 1:18 after lap three. As the lead pack took the bell lap, they owned a sizeable 2:35 lead. Fernandes darted out of T2 first and immediately surged to a 16-second lead after the first kilometer, leaving Avil, Tucker and Ryf to battle for the final two podium spots.
With the lead in hand and her world class running prowess, nobody was going to catch Fernandes as she coasted to her sixth straight Madrid title and record 20th of her remarkable career. Tucker claimed the silver, almost assuring her a spot on the British Olympic team. Ryf came back for the bronze, her first appearance on the world cup podium. Avil settled for fourth, also putting her in excellent position for her first Olympic selection, which was almost unheard of last year for the 18-year old phenom.
In the battle for the final German Olympic spot, Pilz incredibly chipped away at the lead and caught up with Franzmann. With one lap to go the two were running side by side until Pilz began to pull away. She crossed the line in seventh place to steal the final Beijing slot for Germany. A dejected Franzmann finished 11th.
Elite Women Results
- Vanessa Fernandes (POR) 2:04:46
- Helen Tucker (GBR) 2:05:49
- Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2:06:10
- Hollie Avil (GBR) 2:06:19
