| Canadian Juniors Shine on Australia's Gold Coast at Triathlon World Championships |
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Canadian rookie, Alison Hooper, caps off remarkable season with sixth-place finish. GOLD COAST, Australia (September 13, 2009) -- Canada's Alison Hooper capped off an impressive rookie season in her promising triathlon career by finishing as the top Canuck in sixth spot of the junior women's division of the Dextro Energy Triathlon World Championships on Sunday in Australia. Victoria's seventeen-year-old Hooper, who was recruited to the sport from swimming, came out of the choppy ocean with teammate Kyla Coates and the lead pack on Sunday after the 750-metre swim. The Canadian duo masterfully executed the game plan, working well together within the twenty-kilometre bike to position them for the run. Hooper and Coates, who also hails from Victoria, were the first two athletes out of the transition area from the bike for the five-kilometre march to the finish line. Hooper, who was competing in just the seventh triathlon race of her life, fell to as far as eighth spot after about 500 metres of the run in the tight race, while Coates ran shoulder-to-shoulder with Russia's Alexandra Razarenova in a fight for third spot. With Coates fading back in the top-ten after running out of gas in the final 800 metres of the run, Hooper made up two spots to finish as the top Canadian in sixth spot with a time of one hour, one minute, nine seconds (1:01:09), while Coates crossed the line in eighth at 1:01:39. Winnipeg's Rachel Edwards rounded out the Canadian women results, finishing thirty-first (1:05:39). "I am really excited for having this great experience at the Worlds and learning where I stand against the top athletes my age," said Hooper, who threw her arms in the air after crossing the finish line. "I spent countless hours on the bike this past year to bring it up to speed with the top girls." Hooper finished just twelve seconds off the podium in her first trip to the big dance. Emmie Charayron, of France, stormed to the gold-medal spot on the podium posting the time to beat at 1:00:22. Australia's Emma Jackson thrilled the hometown crowd by winning the silver medal with a time of 1:00:41, while Rachel Klamer, of the Netherlands, was third at 1:00:57. Hooper's performance is nothing short of remarkable, considering she was only inspired to take up the sport a little more than one year ago after sitting on the edge of her couch in her Victoria home watching Simon Whitfield's electrifying silver-medal performance at the Beijing Olympics. "I just remember watching Simon's race, and it totally motivated me to start training," said Hooper, who had been approached several times to try the sport by coaches in the Victoria area. "It is such a great sport. I love everything about it." A talented swimmer, who has been putting miles in the pool since she was eight years old, Hooper switched her trade, and began training for triathlon. In less than a year, she has won nearly everything on the table in Canada's junior triathlon circles. Shortly after capturing the Junior Canadian Championships in Quebec, Hooper made history in August, becoming the first-ever triathlon medallist at the Canada Summer Games. "This has been a whirlwind first year for me, for sure," said Hooper. "Winning nationals was a huge shock and absolutely incredible. I just wanted to podium at Canada Games, but never in a million years did I think I was going to win, and my goals at worlds were to finish top-five in my final year of eligibility as a junior in two years." Meanwhile, Connor Hammond, of London, Ontario, led the Canadian men in the junior race after crossing the line in twelfthth spot with a time of 55:31. The men's race was won by Spain's Mario Mola, who clocked in at 54:35. Britain's Jonathan Brownlee celebrated the silver medal with a time of 54:50, while Kristof Kiraly, of Hungary, finished third at 54:55. Two other Canadians also suited up in the junior men's race on Sunday in Australia. Victoria's Matt Sharpe settled for twenty-sixth spot at 56:36, while Ian Donald, of Nepean, Ontario, was forty-second (58:17). "The world championships are an important part of my development as an athlete and allowed me to test myself against the best juniors in the world," said Sharpe. "You always want to perform your best at the worlds, and the pressures are multiplied at events like this, but I am very grateful to have this opportunity and learn the work I still need to do to be the best." The future looks bright for Canadian triathletes. Earlier in the week, Edmonton's Paula Findlay kicked off the Triathlon World Championships by winning a bronze medal in the women's Under-23 race. Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic medal sport since 2000, Triathlon Canada's mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com. Complete World Championship Series Results (750-metre swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run): www.triathlon.org Top-Five Junior Women's and Canadian Results 1. Emmie Charayron, FRA, 1:00:22; 2. Emma Jackson, AUS, 1:00:41; 3. Rachel Klamer, NED, 1:00:57; 4. Maaike Caelers, NED, 1:00:59; 5. Alexandra Razarenova, RUS, 1:01:05 Canadian Results: 6. Alison Hooper, Victoria, 1:01:09; 8. Kyla Coates, Victoria, 1:01:39; 31. Rachel Edwards, Winnipeg, 1:05:39 Top-Five Junior Men's and Canadian Results: 1. Mario Mola, ESP, 54:35; 2. Jonathan Brownlee, GBR, 54:50; 3. Kristof Kiraly, HUN, 54:55; 4. Kevin McDowell, USA, 55:07; 5. David Uccellari, IAT, 55:10. Canadian Results: 12. Connor Hammond, London, Ont., 55:31; 26. Matt Sharpe, Victoria, 56:36; 42. Ian Donald, Nepean, Ont., 58:17 |
