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DES MOINES, Iowa - Simon Whitfield was rewarded with quite a payday at today's Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup, the richest triathlon in history. The record-breaking prize purse was provided by the gracious support of presenting sponsor, American grocer Hy-Vee. On a sweltering day in America's heartland, Whitfield finished in sixth place picking up US$10,000. He was just seven seconds out of a top five finish and missing an automatic spot on the 2008 Olympic team. This was the first of Triathlon Canada's key Olympic qualifiers; the next will be later this year at the World Cup stop in Beijing, the last chance to race the Olympic course before the big dance in 2008.
After a brilliant swim, Whitfield came out of the water in the lead pack and continued to stay in that group throughout the 40-kilometer bike course. The 2000 Olympic champ headed out onto the run in a six-man lead pack that included Dane Rasmus Henning and a trio of Brits. After the first lap, the group thinned down to just Henning and Whitfield, but world number one Javier Gomez and 2004 World Champion Bevan Docherty were gaining ground. On lap two, Henning began to pull away and never looked back, claiming his fourth career World Cup win and picking up the US$200,000 first prize paycheque. Whitfield began to fade in the final lap and crossed the line in sixth place but still moved up in the world rankings to number three. Docherty of New Zealand finished with the silver, his 12th career World Cup podium finish. Spaniard Gomez took the bronze and retains his world number one ranking.
2007 Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup - Final Men's Results:
1st - Rasmus Henning (DEN) 1:50:04
2nd - Bevan Docherty (NZL) 1:50:34
3rd - Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:50:46
6th - Simon Whitfield (Victoria, BC) 1:51:09
18th - Brent McMahon (Victoria, BC) 1:52:48
28th - Colin Jenkins (Hamilton, ON) 1:56:24
DNF - Kyle Jones (Oakville, ON)
DNS - Paul Tichelaar (Edmonton, AB) withdrew before race due to sprained ankle
In the women's field, it was a disappointing day for some Canadians and a heartbreaking day for another. Kirsten Sweetland of Victoria, BC was in line for the biggest payday of her young career and an automatic berth on the Olympic team but just didn't have enough to get to the finish line. She was in the lead group of three runners heading into the last lap but collapsed less than half a kilometer from the finish line due to heat exhaustion. She was one of many women to feel the effects of the intense heat on the day. Fellow Canadians Lauren Groves and Jill Savege both failed to finish.
American veteran Laura Bennett powered through the heat and ran away from Aussie Annabel Luxford in the final stretch to claim her fourth career World Cup win and the hefty US$200,000 first prize. Bennett was in the lead pack since the swim finish and along with several others, they pulled away from the field and kept extending their lead with every lap. Pre-race favourite Emma Snowsill of Australia came out of the water in the chase pack but only fell further behind the leaders during the 40-kilometer bike ride. More than two minutes behind during the run, Snowsill couldn't muster any comeback and withdrew from the race. Luxford took the silver and takes home US$40,000 while jumping to number two in the world. Brazilian Mariana Ohata blistered the course with a phenomenal run to take third place. Amidst the sizzling conditions on a tough course, only 26 of 49 women finished the race.
2007 Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup - Final Women's Results:
1st - Laura Bennett (USA) 2:04:32
2nd - Annabel Luxford (AUS) 2:04:47
3rd - Mariana Ohata (BRA) 2:05:30
16th - Kathy Tremblay (Montreal, QC) 2:08:58
DNF - Kirsten Sweetland (Victoria, BC)
DNF - Lauren Groves (Vancouver, BC)
DNF - Jill Savege (Penticton, BC)
The Des Moines BG Triathlon World Cup is part of the ITU's series of Olympic qualifiers and is a huge opportunity for athletes to gain ground in the race to make the cut for Beijing. The Olympic fields are extremely competitive with men's and women's fields capped at 55 with a maximum of three per National Federation. ITU Olympic qualifying continues through the 2007 season including the World Cup stop in Edmonton next week.
For full results, schedule, race reports, athlete quotes and high-resolution images, visit the ITU's Online Media Centre:
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Up next:
On June 24, the 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup series travels to Edmonton for the last time after successfully hosting World Cup triathlon for six years. Canadians expected in the field include Simon Whitfield, Lauren Groves, reigning Junior World Champion Kirsten Sweetland, and hometown favourite Paul Tichelaar.
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