Reigning ITU World Champion Emma Moffatt has claimed her first Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series win in almost two years, punctuating the first all-Australian and all-Emma podium sweep today in Hamburg.
In a stellar weekend for Australian triathlon in Germany, Moffatt beat fellow Australians Emma Jackson and Emma Snowsill to the line. For Jackson, it was her first Dextro Energy Series Triathlon podium and for Snowsill it was a brilliant way to break out of her lacklustre early season form.
This was Moffatt's first series win since the 2009 Grand Final on Australia's Gold Coast and she drew level with Paula Findlay on the total number of series title wins - both now have five - and a rare win over Snowsill. Usually, when the pair go head-to-head, its the 2008 Beijing Olympic champion that has won.
"Usually its a few steps with her and then she's gone but today I thought I would try to match her and obviously I could do that for a little bit and then I kind of felt strong on the third lap so I tried to push it and I guess that's where I kind of made my break," Moffatt said. "I'm really happy with my performance, but also the other Emmas as well."
Snowsill summed it up as a win for the Australian team, who had four in the top seven with Erin Densham's seventh place finish. "I think its a sign of things to come hopefully that the girls are coming back," she said.
Great Britain's Lucy Hall made an impression in her Series debut, rocketing to the front in the swim leg. But the biggest surprise was Switzerland's Nicola Spirig and Snowsill not far behind. Spirig was making her 2011 season debut, but the extended time she spent in the pool due to stress fractures immediately paid dividends on her normally slower swim, while Snowsill finally managed to get away from the slow swim's that cost her in Sydney and Madrid.
Hall was quickly caught on the first lap of eight laps and two distinct packs formed, the main one with 35 athletes - including Spirig, Moffatt, Snowsill, Barbara Riveros Diaz, Andrea Hewitt and Sarah Groff. That group stayed together for the entire eight laps, with not much changing as Spirig and Svenja Bazlen did the bulk of the work, and the rest seemed content to leave the result down to the 10km run.
That group of 35 then hit T2 together and it was Ainhoa Murua, Densham and Moffatt who were able to get out first. While Snowsill and Jackson initially left transition well back, it didn't take long for them to power to the front and within the first lap they had caught the front group. Then with five kilometres to go, it suddenly turned into a Trans-Tasman battle as Snowsill, Jackson, Moffatt and Hewitt dropped Murua and Riveros Diaz. From there, Moffatt turned on her kick in the last kilometre to leave her compatriots fighting for silver and bronze.
In a sprint across the line, Jackson showed that international triathlon doesn't just have two Australian Emmas to watch for now as she just pipped Snowsill.
"I felt very proud to be running up there with Emma Snowsill and Emma Moffatt, both world champions and Olympic medallists," Jackson said. "So I was so happy to be running with them."
Hamburg marks the halfway point of the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series, with London, Lausanne and the Beijing Grand Final to come.
Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Hamburg - July 17, 2011
Final Results - Elite Women - Official - 1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold - Emma Moffatt (AUS) - 01:53:37
Silver - Emma Jackson (AUS) - 01:53:44
Bronze - Emma Snowsill (AUS) - 01:53:44
4th - Andrea Hewitt (NZL) - 01:53:59
5th - Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) - 01:54:32
6th - Ainhoa Murua (ESP) - 01:54:33
7th - Erin Densham (AUS) - 01:54:43
8th - Danne Boterenbrood (NED) - 01:54:49
9th - Jodie Stimpson (GBR) - 01:54:50
10th - Svenja Bazlen (GER) - 01:54:52
