Nobody could stop Gwen Jorgensen from claiming her 10th World Triathlon Series title in Hyde Park, as she stormed ahead early on in the run to cross the line with considerable time to spare.
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There was plenty of jostling in the swim and the field spread out quickly. Carolina Routier (ESP) led out of the water, emerging after a shade over 9 mins. Sophie Coldwell was the first Brit into T2, leaving experienced WTS racers Non Stanford and Vicky Holland trailing. As testament to the hectic swim, a number of athletes including Jorgensen lost their timing chips
It was a blistering start to Coldwell’s WTS debut, as she made it into the top group of eight on the bike. Gwen Jorgenson was also in there along with fellow Americans Sarah True and Katie Zaferes, increasing the chances of a 1-2-3 for the USA early on.
Stanford’s hopes of catching up were all but over after lap 1 of the bike, as the gap to the top group continued to grow.
The top pack of 7 held on all the way to the end of the bike leg, with Margrit Venek (HUN) and Gillian Blackhouse (AUS) joining Routier, Jorgensen, Zaferes, True and the inspired Sophie Coldwell.
Coldwell had a perfect T2 and led out onto the run, but the Americans quickly took over and Jorgenson, True and Zaferes formed a top three in the first kilometre.
As Cauldwell faded Vicky Holland gritted her teeth and quickly moved past, going into the top four after 2km.
At the front Jorgensen also made her move around 2km in, establishing a strong lead that continued to grow through the halfway point – it then became a case of the margin of Jorgensen’s victory rather than who was going to win.
Jorgensen crossed the finish line in 55:45, with Zaferes winning the battle for 2nd over True and finishing 21 secs later. Aileen Reid (IRL) continued her strong season with a 4th place finish, overtaking Holland in the closing stages of the run.
It was a true day of dominance for team USA, who now occupy all three places on the podium in the overall standings.
Image: Ross Grieve/DGT
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Has Gwen Jorgensen established herself as the greatest female triathlete of all time? Let us know in the comments!
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