Jenkins Wins WTS Gold Coast, Breaking Jorgensen’s Win Streak
Great Britain's Helen Jenkins turned in a significant victory Saturday at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Gold Coast race.
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Great Britain’s Helen Jenkins turned in a significant victory Saturday at the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Gold Coast race, breaking American Gwen Jorgensen’s World Triathlon Series win streak and making a convincing case for the final spot on the British women’s Olympic triathlon team.
Some of the biggest wins of Jenkins’ career have come off the back of bike breakaways, and on Saturday her uncanny knack of knowing when to push helped her return to the top of the World Triathlon Series podium for the first time since 2012.
After a strong swim, Jenkins, Flora Duffy (BER) and Andrea Hewitt (NZL), made a break around the halfway mark of the 40km bike leg. They then made the most of a technical bike course to take an impressive 90-second lead into T2.
From there, Jenkins pulled away at the front of the run to make her return to the WTS winners list, and also move into top spot in the series rankings.
“I can’t quite believe it,” said Jenkins on her Gold Coast victory. “I did not have the best swim today and then on the bike, because it was so technical it was just as hard even if you were at the front, so I sat in and me, Flora and Andrea were able to get a gap.
“I have so much respect for those girls, they were smashing it today. And I got to the run and just went for it. But the whole time I was waiting for Gwen, you can never underestimate how quick Gwen’s running is.”
Jenkins win also broke Gwen Jorgensen’s record of 12 straight World Triathlon Series win. But the American didn’t let that happen easily, despite starting from T2 almost two minutes behind the leaders, she still ran herself on the podium. In a thrilling sprint with Hewitt down the finish line, Jorgensen steamed ahead in the final few meters to claim silver, ahead of Hewitt in bronze.
In other notable news, Australia’s Emma Moffatt also claimed her spot on the Australian Olympic team by finishing seventh.
Read the complete race recap at Triathlon.org.
2016 ITU World Triathlon Series Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia – April 9, 2016
1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run
Women
1. Helen Jenkins (GBR) 1:56:03
2. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 1:56:44
3. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 1:56:45
4. Flora Duffy (BER) 1:56:58
5. Rachel Klamer (NED) 1:58:06
6. Katie Zaferes (USA) 1:58:14
7. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 1:58:47
8. Vendula Frintova (CZE) 1:59:06
9. Lisa Perterer (AUT) 1:59:07
10. Kirsten Kasper (USA) 1:59:09