2016 ITU World Triathlon Series Abu Dhabi: The Men
Mario Mola found his way to the front of the race despite a 10-second penalty.
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Photos: Janos Schmidt/Triathlon.org
Spain’s Mario Mola started off the new World Triathlon Series season exactly where he finished, on top of the podium, as he shook off a slow swim and a penalty to win the opening race of the 2016 WTS season.
Mola exited the swim field near the end and then gained a penalty in T1 for equipment outside the box. But after a technical 40km bike brought the field together, he blasted out of T2 and hit the front in the first lap.
After extending a 10-second lead over a chase group that included Richard Murray, Joao Silva and Fernando Alarza, Mola made a tactical decision to take his penalty at the halfway mark of the run. That set him back on course a few metres behind that trio, but he quickly caught their heels. It then took him less than a kilometer to find his way to the front, and that’s where he stayed for the rest of the race. Watch a video recap here