TRIATHLON

An Australian sweep in Mooloolaba, Sam Ward third

By ITU

It was double trouble for Australia in Mooloolaba on Saturday, with Emma Jackson and Luke Willian both adding their names to the winners list at the long-running ITU World Cup event. In addition, Australian athletes picked up four of the six podium places on offer in a strong showing at home.

Women's Race Review
Australia’s Emma Jackson returned to the top of the World Cup podium for the first time in four years, with a strong all-round performance leading to her win at Mooloolaba on Saturday.

Jackson was one of the leaders out of the swim and then worked hard in a lead group of six on the bike to establish a gap to the chase, led by fellow Australian Ashleigh Gentle. While Jackson then spent the first lap of the run sitting behind fellow Australian Emma Jeffcoat, she sped up to take to the lead just before the 5km mark and was not headed from there.

She claimed the win in a time of 1 hour 56 minutes and 36 seconds. However she was slightly worried her race was over almost before it started, with a trip up on the beach start.

“I actually fell over running into the surf for the swim but I was fortunate enough to pick my self up and came out in the top two, so that was a good swim for me,” Jackson said. “We had a good group of girls who worked together on the bike and we had a gap back to Ashleigh which I was able to hold onto towards the end.”

“It shows me that I’m in alright form. I actually enjoy sprint distance racing I don’t enjoy the heat too much, with that an Olympic Distance race I thought I was going to struggle a bit. So it was actually really nice to go out there and prove myself wrong and have a good race.”

Gentle posted the fastest run split of the day to push herself up into second place, while Mexico's Claudia Rivas claimed bronze - just a week after competing in the Abu Dhabi World Triathlon Series opener.

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Men's Race Review
It was just his second Olympic distance ITU World Cup event, but that didn’t stop Australia’s Luke Willian storming home to take the 2017 Mooloolaba ITU World Cup title in Australia on Saturday.

After a tough swim and bike in hot, humid and windy conditions in Mooloolaba, Willian pulled out a final lap surge that was enough to hold off fellow Australian Drew Box and New Zealand’s Sam Ward. Willian won in a time of 1 hour 43 minutes and 48 seconds.

As well as the World Cup title, Willian secured a spot on the start line at the Gold Coast World Triathlon Series event in April - which is an official selection race for the Australian Commonwealth Games team.
“That’s been the goal for me getting to that race, and I’ve just done that,” Willian said.

The swim also played an important role in the men’s race, with a lead group of 11 getting away quickly from T1. That group, which included Tommy Zaferes, Kevin McDowell, Michael Lori, Sam Ward and others, worked strongly together to extend a gap to the chase, led by Crisanto Grajales. After sitting at around 40 seconds for the first few laps, the leaders extended that gap to 1:40 at T2.

From there it was Lori, Box, Ward, Willian and McDowell who pushed the pace. With one lap to go Lori dropped off slightly and it seemed set up for a sprint finish. But it was Willian that took the initiative on the hill and strode away for the first World Cup win of his career.

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