U.S. Women Sweep Podium at World Triathlon Gold Coast
Jorgensen earns eighth consecutive win to lead U.S. women to seven top-21 finishes
GOLD COAST, Australia — 2014 ITU World Champion Gwen Jorgensen extended her streak to eight consecutive wins on the prestigious ITU World Triathlon Series, while Sarah True and Katie Zaferes ran to second and third for the second podium sweep in WTS history on Saturday at ITU World Triathlon Gold Coast.
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| Sarah True (left), Gwen Jorgensen and Katie Zaferes swept the podium at WTS Gold Coast on Saturday. (Delly Carr/ITU) |
Jorgensen, True and Zaferes were in the lead group from start to finish, exiting the water in the top eight and sticking with the lead pack throughout the 8-lap bike course. Jorgensen earned a 15-second penalty in the second transition due to her bike falling from its rack, but she ran a 33:35 10k run split to maintain her lead through the finish.
“I don’t think you ever have a perfect race but I was really thrilled to come out of the water and be in the front pack right away,” Jorgensen said in a post-race interview. “I mean, one-two-three for Team USA, it couldn’t get any better, […] going to be able to stand up there and hear our national anthem with all three girls – you couldn’t ask for anything more.”
True, who finished fourth at the London 2012 Olympic Games and was the runner-up in last year’s ITU World Championships, ran 34:51 to hold steady at second place, breaking away from Zaferes by the halfway point on the run. True and Zaferes held off a charging Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand, who finished fourth.
“Last year in London, the two of us [Jorgensen and True] were one-two, and I knew Katie was a podium athlete. I’m happy to be back on the podium, especially with a couple of U.S. athletes,” True said. “I’m actually ahead of where I thought I’d be, so I’m really pleased.”
“I’m super excited. When I saw Gwen and Sarah, I was like, ‘I have to stay here, I want the all-American podium!’ So it gave me a lot of incentive to keep pushing to be with my teammates,” Zaferes said. “It’s so exciting for us, and for the whole country.”
In addition to the U.S.-only podium, the U.S. women logged seven top-21 finishes at World Triathlon Gold Coast. Lindsey Jerdonek (Brecksville, Ohio) finished eighth for her second top-10 finish of the season, while Jessica Broderick (Boulder, Colo.) made her WTS debut with 14th place.Renée Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.) and Kaitlin Donner (Satellite Beach, Fla.) finished 20th and 21st, respectively.
With Saturday’s results, four U.S. women are ranked in the top seven in the world. Jorgensen maintains her No. 1 position in the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings with 2,400 points, and Zaferes also remains in second with 2,165 points. True’s silver medal moves her into fourth with 1,633 points, while Jerdonek slides into seventh with 1,174 points. Complete rankings are available at http://wts.triathlon.org/
In the men’s race, Jarrod Shoemaker (Clermont, Fla.) was the top U.S. finisher in 22nd and Kevin McDowell (Geneva, Ill.) was 25th. London 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Jonathan Brownlee of Great Britain was the men’s champion.
ITU World Triathlon Gold Coast
1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run
Elite Women – Complete Results
1. Gwen Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.), 1:56:58
2. Sarah True (Hanover, N.H.), 1:58:17
3. Katie Zaferes (Hampstead, Md.), 1:58:35
Elite Women – U.S. finishers
8. Lindsey Jerdonek (Brecksville, Ohio), 1:59:54
14. Jessica Broderick (Boulder, Colo.), 2:00:22
20. Renée Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.), 2:00:46
21. Kaitlin Donner (Satellite Beach, Fla.), 2:00:47
33. Chelsea Burns (Seattle, Wash.), 2:03:26
39. Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.), 2:05:12
Elite Men – Complete Results
1. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), 1:46:53
2. Mario Mola (ESP), 1:47:11
3. Javier Gomez (ESP), 1:47:21
Elite Men – U.S. finishers
22. Jarrod Shoemaker (Clermont, Fla.), 1:49:36
25. Kevin McDowell (Geneva, Ill.), 1:49:52
31. Ben Kanute (Geneva, Ill.), 1:50:32
41. Sean Jefferson (Palisades, Calif.), 1:52:14
DNF Tommy Zaferes (Soquel, Calif.), Alan Webb (Beaverton, Ore.)
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FSN Triathlon – Florida Swim Network
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