Published March 28, 2015 10:52PM
Gwen Jorgensen Runs To 7th Straight WTS Win In Auckland
Gwen Jorgensen continued her ITU dominance today at the ITU World Triathlon Series Auckland race.
Photo: Triathlon.org
Gwen Jorgensen continued her ITU dominance today at the ITU World Triathlon Series Auckland race. Read the recap from Triathlon.org below.
American Gwen Jorgensen finally got a long awaited win at the 2015 World Triathlon Series in Auckland on Sunday after three attempts. The victory rocketed the American to 10 WTS wins and cemented her place at the top of the Threedneedle leader board after her win in Abu Dhabi. Also mirroring that first WTS race earlier in the year, fellow American Katie Zaferes was able to take home the silver medal with a time of 2:10:42.
Jorgensen emerged from the water with a 40-second deficit but her effort on the early laps of the bike catapulted her into the lead group as she was able to remain their for the entire 40km before unleashing her lethal run. Crossing the finish-line at 2:09:04 with a lead of over 90 seconds, she earned her second gold medal and granted her the rights to an early perfect 2015 WTS season.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I really wanted to be with the leaders in T2 so I am really happy that I was able to do that. I was able to execute with my run today but my main goal is to keep with front pack during the bike,” said Jorgensen.
A mild temperature and sunny conditions saw a group of about nine lead by Jessica Learmonth (GBR) and Carolina Routier (ESP) lead out of the swim with a healthy gap between them and the chase group, for the entirety of the 1500-meter swim.
After the first transition, a strong lead group was led by Lucy Hall (GBR) and Sarah True (USA) for the first couple laps of the bike. But entering into the third lap a huge push from the chase group caused the frontrunners to turn into a 21-women merger. The last part of the bike ride the leaders dwindled down to an 11-person pack that included Jorgensen, True, Lisa Norden (SWE), Andrea Hewitt (NZL) and Vendula Frintova(CZE).
ADVERTISEMENT
Norden executed a strong performance on the bike as she brought herself back from a forty-second deficit from the water to be the leader on the bike for five out of the eight-laps. However she was forced to pull herself out of the race once she hit the run with Achilles trouble.
The three positions were determined early with Jorgensen, Zafares and Hewitt breaking away from the pack in the early stages. While Jorgensen took off on her trademark run, fellow teammate Zafares was able to hold onto a consistent pace to land her the second-place finish.
“I am super excited, last year was my first time in Auckland and it went as bad as I think it could go. This year it went as good as I think it could go. I run my own race the whole time, I don’t want to get caught up in someone else’s pace so I just do my own thing,” said Zafares.
ADVERTISEMENT
New Zealand’s own Hewitt put in a monster performance to be in the leading group on the bike and dictated terms but was not able to match the leg speed of Jorgensen. A littering call made on the bike course also handed Hewitt a 15-second penalty, but despite the setback she was able to rally and take home the last podium position. Her third play today also secured her place on the New Zealand team for Rio 2016 as it doubled as a selection race for the home nation.
2015 ITU World Triathlon Series Auckland
Auckland, New Zealand – March 28, 2015
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
1 Gwen Jorgensen USA 2:09:04
2 Katie Zaferes USA 2:10:42
3 Andrea Hewitt NZL 2:10:58
4 Vendula Frintova CZE 2:11:23
5 Lisa Perterer AUT 2:11:40
6 Emma Moffatt AUS 2:11:43
7 Yuka Sato JPN 2:12:02
8 Sarah True USA 2:12:22
9 Sarah-anne Brault CAN 2:12:35
10 Simone Ackermann NZL 2:12:57