Posted: September 3, 2007

Triathlon: Uber-Strong Unger new Triathlon World Champion 

HAMBURG, Germany - Daniel Unger has become a national hero, booked a ticket to the Beijing Olympics and shocked the triathlon world all at once. Unger is the new triathlon world champion winning today in a time of 1 hour 43 minutes and 18 seconds and even he couldn't believe what he had just accomplished. "It is unbelievable. I think I'm dreaming. The last lap I was running and I was thinking to myself, 'this is not true, this is a dream.' It is true, I'm world champion of triathlon," said Unger. World number one Javier Gomez took the silver, just four seconds back while Aussie Brad Kahlefeldt came across the line for bronze. A full field of 80 dove into the Binnenalster lake in downtown Hamburg for the 1500-meter wetsuit swim. Many were tightly bunched after the swim turnaround but as they exited the water American Andy Potts led the field with Frenchman Stephane Poulat, Gomez and Belaubre nipping as his heels. The four men headed out of transition together and tried to break away from the chase pack. After the first lap the lead inflated to 16 seconds but it didn't last long before the two groups came together by the second lap of the 40-kilometer flat, technical bike course. A few other men attempted breakaways including Poulat who broke away and opened up a 17-second lead on the bell lap. In that final lap many men began to surge to the front of the pack trying to position themselves for the second transition. German Jan Frodeno had the crowds on their feet as he led the men out onto the 10-kilometer run course. In the final leg, contenders began to fall off the pace and by the midway point, the lead pack emerged and it included Brit Will Clarke, Unger, Gomez, Kahlefeldt, and Canadian Simon Whitfield. As expected Gomez began to crank up the pace and by the final two laps, only the German was able to stay with him. The Spaniard powered ahead and looked on his way to his first world title but Unger hung on and kept Gomez within sight, buoyed by the cheers of nearly 300,000 fans. In the last kilometer Unger passed Gomez and sprinted to the line for Germany's first ever elite triathlon world championship and first medal since 1995. "I was really surprised I could go with (Gomez). The last lap he was gone a little bit but then he always watched over his shoulder so I knew he was in trouble," recalled Unger. "I was very sure if I could reach him before the last curve I would win the sprint because I am fast on the last 200 meters. That was my main goal. And then I closed my eyes and go as fast as I could. Now here I am, world champion." Officials estimated 600,000 people attended the world championships over the three days and Unger rode their energy to the gold. "The German crowd is responsible for this win today," he said. "Any other world champs I won't win but here in Germany I could manage it." As a designated Olympic qualifier for their team, Unger and Jan Frodeno both grabbed the first Olympic spots for the German team. Gomez celebrated his first trip the world championship podium and retains his world number one ranking. "On the run I felt good, 100%, but Daniel Unger was really really strong," replied Gomez. "On the last lap I catch him but in the final 200 to 300 metres he was stronger. I could do nothing. I am happy with my second." Whitfield, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, had his best performance at a world championship and also earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team with his fourth place finish, just four seconds shy of the podium. Clarke, last year's under23 world champion, performed solidly in his first elite championship, finishing in fifth place, one of three Brits in the top ten. Hamburg BG Triathlon World Championships - Final Elite Men's Results: Gold - Daniel UNGER (GER) 1:43:18   Silver - Javier GOMEZ (ESP) 1:43:22 +:04 Bronze - Brad KAHLEFELDT (AUS) 1:43:36 +:18 4th - Simon WHITFIELD (CAN) 1:43:40 +:22 5th - William CLARKE (GBR) 1:43:45 +:27 6th - Jan FRODENO (GER) 1:43:57 +:39 7th - Terenzo BOZZONE (NZL) 1:44:04 +:46 8th - Stuart HAYES (GBR) 1:44:07 +:49 9th - Bevan DOCHERTY (NZL) 1:44:22 +1:04 10th - Tim DON (GBR) 1:44:27 +1:09 Full results are available here: Triathlon.org Up next: The 2007 BG Triathlon World Cup Series moves to China on September 15th and 16th with Olympic dreams on the line for the Beijing BG Triathlon World Cup, the official test-event for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Photo: FrankWechsel/triathlon.org Photo:Janos Schmidt/triathlon.org Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest