Shoemaker and Moffatt rein in Hamburg

Jarrod Shoemaker from the USA clocked his first win of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series as he surged away from a strong field during the run to cross the line in 1:44:06, eight seconds ahead of Australia’s Brad Kahlefeldt. In the women’s race Australia’s Emma Moffatt took her third successive win in the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series as she put together a stunning race to cross the line in 1:56:12.



Moffatt’s win reinforces her lead at the top of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Rankings and she will go to the Grand Final on Australia’s Gold Coast as series leader, even if she does not contest the next two races in London and Yokohama. Maik Petzold delighted the German home crowd as he moved to the top of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Rankings, overtaking Brownlee, Gomez and Vidal, following a sixth place finish.



In the women’s race Hayley Peirsol, a former swimming world championship medallist from the USA, dominated the first discipline, carving out a minute lead over the 1500m course in Hamburg’s Alster.



Peirsol tried to make the most of her advantage by riding away from the opposition, but as a storm rolled into the city she crashed on the wet road and found herself back with the chasers. Sweden’s Lisa Norden, a renowned cycle specialist, tried to take full advantage of the anxiety in the lead pack and broke away on the second lap. She was quickly joined by Daniela Ryf from Switzerland and Moffatt, who also seized the initiative as conditions worsened.



By the end of the 40km cycle the leading trio had pulled out a one minute advantage which would prove to be unassailable. Once onto the 10km run Moffatt stormed away from Norden and Ryf, who could not respond to the electric pace, and eventually built a 54 second winning margin. Sweden’s Norden ran strongly to take second place, her second silver medal of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series with reigning under 23 triathlon world champion Ryf a further 33 seconds back in third.



Lauren Groves from Canada was the best of the rest, clocking the second fastest run split to take fourth ahead of the young and aspiring Barbara Riveros Diaz from Chile; a new success story from the ITU Sport Development Programme which offers support and guidance to athletes from smaller federations, of which Lisa Norden was a former beneficiary.



“The weather was a bit dodgy, but I felt good in the swim and although it was cold on the bike all the hard effort of working with Daniela [Ryf] and Lisa [Norden] warmed me up a bit,” said Moffatt. “We got a good break which meant that I could relax on the run and it set the race up nicely. Racing is never easy, especially in the wet, and it can get a bit dangerous, so I’m pleased to come through unscathed. I’m not sure on my racing plans ahead of the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Grand Final on the Gold Coast, but I intend to get a good block of training done and might consider racing in one of the next races in the series in either London or Yokohama.”



“Daniela and I train together under the same coach and so we planned to breakaway on the bike as we’re both really strong cyclists. But today we were the Schleck brothers and Emma was Contador!” admitted Norden, making reference to the Tour de France. “We were quite surprised to see Emma bridge up to us once we made the break, but it’s testament to her completeness as a great triathlete. I take it as a complement that she felt she couldn’t afford to let us breakaway.”



The men enjoyed much brighter conditions and the opening 1500m swim saw three packs form early on as Petzold tried to escape with Canada’s Paul Tichelaar and Aurelian Raphael from France at the head of the race. His efforts were short lived as the chasers reeled the trio back in on the second of the eight 5k laps.



Disaster struck the 2007 ITU triathlon world champion, Daniel Unger, who had taken victory in Hamburg two years ago and also won last year’s Hamburg ITU Triathlon World Cup. A puncture on the second bike lap left him riding alone and losing time following a wheel change, however he chose to battle on buoyed on by home support.



Halfway through the cycle another breakaway involving Tichelaar was successful in pushing off the front of the main pack as Mark Fretta from the United States, Dominik Berger from Austria and Christian Prochnow from Germany managed to open up a gap. The four worked hard and shared the effort to carve out a 1:20 minute lead coming in to second transition.



Prochnow quickly hit the front as the excited crowd considered the possibility of a German winner, however it wasn’t to be. Further behind the Beijing Olympic medallists of Jan Frodeno from Germany, Simon Whitfield from Canada and New Zealand’s Bevan Docherty spearheaded the chase, but they couldn’t stop Shoemaker who surged at 2km and pulled away.



Shoemaker caught and passed Prochnow at the 5km mark and was able to stay strong in the closing stages, despite being put under pressure by Kahlefeldt. Further behind the leading pair, European Triathlon Championship bronze medallist, Alexander Brukhankov from Russia, took third, just ahead of Justus and Docherty.



“I had a lot of fun out there today,” said Shoemaker. “It was an unbelievable race, and I just wanted to come out and do well. I actually wasn’t planning on racing in Hamburg but two weeks ago at the last round in Kitzbühel I dropped out in the cold conditions and then decided to come up here. I really had to work in the swim, but felt great on the bike and then just opened up on the run. This race is the race other races look up to, and with such an awesome crowd and 9000 age group triathletes competing in the morning it’s a special place. I decided that today I would just run all out, I’ve sat in the pack too much this year so to pull off the win is great!”



“I was so sick of coming second in sprint finishes after Tongyeong and the Hy-Vee Elite Cup that I wanted to take it on today,” commented Brad Kahlefeldt. “It was going well but Jarrod [Shoemaker] came over the top of me and pushed on very hard. On the final lap I was concerned with the guys catching me up from behind but I pushed on. I knew with one kilometre to go that I couldn’t catch Jarrod, but I gave it everything, so I’ll reluctantly have to settle for another second place.”



Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Rankings

After Race Five of Eight

1. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 3140pts

2. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2229pts

3. Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2089pts

4. Lisa Norden (SWE) 1982pts

5. Kathy Tremblay (CAN) 1940pts



Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Rankings

After Race Five of Eight

1. Maik Petzold (GER) 2493pts

2. Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 2400pts

3. Javier Gomez (ESP) 2368pts

4. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 2276pts

5. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 2145pts



Hamburg Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship

1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run

Elite Women - Official Results

Gold – Emma Moffatt (AUS) 1:56:12

Silver – Lisa Norden (SWE) 1:57:06 +0:54

Bronze – Daniela Ryf (SUI) 1:57:39 +1:27

4th – Lauren Groves (CAN) 1:57:58 +1:46

5th – Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) 1:58:03 +1:51

6th – Sarah Haskins (USA) 1:58:07 +1:55

7th – Anja Dittmer (GER) 1:58:12 +2:00

8th – Melanie Annaheim (SUI) 1:58:13 +2:01

9th – Irina Abysova (RUS) 1:58:16 +2:04

10th – Kathy Tremblay (CAN) 1:58:20 +2:08



Hamburg Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship

1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run

Elite Men - Official Results

Gold – Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:44:06

Silver – Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) +0:08

Bronze – Alexander Brukhankov (RUS) +0:10

4th – Steffen Justus (GER) +0:15

5th – Bevan Docherty (NZL) +0:19

6th – Maik Petzold (GER) +0:23

7th – Kris Gemmell (NZL) +0:23

8th – Dmitry Polyansky (RUS) +35

9th – Simon Whitfield (CAN) +43

10th – Jan Frodeno (GER) +49



Photo: Delly Carr