Fleischmann, Haskins Take USA Triathlon Elite Development Race Titles

In what proved to be a competitive early-season contest, Brian Fleischmann and Sarah Haskins were victorious in USA Triathlon’s first Elite Development Race of 2010 Sunday at Lake Louisa State Park.

Fleishmann outdistanced a field of 35 men with a time of 53:22 in the sprint distance race, which consisted of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run. Fellow ITU-ranked elites Cameron Dye (53:48) and Jarrod Shoemaker (54:14) took second and third, respectively.

Haskins took the women’s race with a time of 57:54, nearly a minute ahead of the field of 13. Alicia Kaye was second at 58:45, and Sara McLarty placed third in 1:00:09.

Additionally, Sunday’s race qualified the first three male and female amateur finishers for their USAT elite licenses, which will open the door to ITU Continental Cup events and the road to the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Christopher Lutz, who was eighth in 56:53, Tommy Zaferes, who took ninth in 56:58, and 16-year-old William Huffman, who placed 10th in 57:09, were the top three male amateurs.

On the women’s side, 19-year-old Alexandra Weber (sixth, 1:02:33), Gwen Jorgenson (eighth, 1:02:58) and Lauren Gross (11th, 1:05:23) took the top three amateur spots.

Development races are designed by USAT to allow athletes ages 16-23 the chance to race with elite triathletes and top amateurs pursuing the Olympic dream. Since Sunday’s event was an elite development race, the juniors entered earned points towards their draft-legal ranking for 2010.

USA Triathlon Elite Development Race #1, March 7, 2010
Lake Louisa State Park, Clermont, Fla.

Women
1. Sarah Haskins, 57:54
2. Alicia Kaye, 58:45
3. Sara McLarty, 1:00:09
4. Amanda Hahn, 1:00:56
5. Tamara Kozulina, 1:01:30

Men
1. Brian Fleischmann, 53:22
2. Cameron Dye, 53:48
3. Jarrod Shoemaker, 54:14
4. Maxim Kriat, 54:41
5. Sean Jefferson, 56:04

Race recap and results provided by USA Triathlon.