| Canada's Lauren Groves' Quest for Podium Pushed Off Course in Grand Final of Triathlon World Championship Series |
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Australia's Emma Moffatt wins Grand Final and World Championship Series title. GOLD COAST, Australia (September 13, 2009) -- Lauren Groves had an unfortunate ending to her best season on the national team when she finished in nineteenth spot at the Grand Final of the 2009 Dextro Energy Triathlon World Championship Series on Australia's Gold Coast Sunday. The twenty-eight-year-old Vancouver native completed the 1.5-kilometre swim, forty-kilometre bike, and ten-kilometre run in a time of two hours, two minutes, seven seconds (2:02:07). "I was definitely disappointed with my result today," said Groves, who finished a solid twelfth overall in the World Championship Series standings. "It wasn't the ending I wanted for my best season-to-date, but if a top-twenty at the Grand Final is my worst result of the year, then I can't be too disappointed." The swim really set the tone of the day for Groves when the pack she was in was pushed off course by strong currents and choppy conditions. The 2008 Olympian exited the water near the back of a large string of women that quickly split into three distinct groups on the bike. By the end of the bike leg, Groves was in the third group and lost considerable time on the two lead packs. "I ran the race as though I was in the lead pack and gave it everything I had, so I did have a solid run, which got me into nineteenth spot." Groves has been hanging tough with the world's elite this year, and finally struck the international podium for the first time of her career when she finished third at the ITU Elite Cup in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this summer. "One of my main goals this year was to be consistent, and with all but one race with top-ten finishes, I feel as though I achieved this," said Groves. "I'm eager to return next season and continue to build from here, aiming for being a serious podium contender in London 2012." While making positive strides in her quest for gold, Groves still has time to make up on the world's elite. Australia's Emma Moffat is the one to catch, wrapping up a stellar campaign by winning the Grand Final and the Overall World Championship Series title on Sunday. The Aussie, who has been battling a foot injury, took control of the race in the run with international rival Lisa Norden, of Sweden, separating themselves from a pack-of-seven and the elite field. Moffatt sprinted to her fourth victory of the season in front of the hometown crowd to post a winning time of 1:59:14. I'm absolutely delighted," said Moffatt. "I was a bit worried having a month off running, but I knew that recovery had been going well and once I started the run I knew I had it in the bag. To come through so strongly in front of a home crowd like this is just incredible; it's been an amazing year." A creative change to the sport, the World Championship Series was introduced by the International Triathlon Union this year in an effort to make the sport more spectator friendly. The Series had the world's top triathletes racing at world-class venues in eight internationally-renowned cities, culminating with the Grand Final Saturday. Points were awarded based on results at each race to determine the overall winner. Sweden's Norden settled for second spot at 1:59:19, while Germany's Helen Jenkins rounded out the women's podium in third at 1:59:41. Montreal's Kathy Tremblay was the only other Canadian to hit the start line and finished thirtieth at 2:05:02. The twenty-seven-year-old Tremblay also enjoyed a strong season, which was highlighted by a silver-medal win at a World Cup stop in Ishigaki, Japan. Victoria's Kirsten Sweetland was injured and did not 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 (1.5-kilometre Swim; 40-kilometre bike; 10-kilometre run): www.triathlon.org Top-Five Women's and Canadian Results 1. Emma Moffatt, AUS, 1:59:14; 2. Lisa Norden, SWE, 1:59:19; 3. Helen Jenkins, GER, 1:59:41; 4. Sarah Haskins, USA, 1:59:52; 5. Annabel Luxford, AUS, 2:00:07 Canadian Results: 19. Lauren Groves, Vancouver, 2:02:07; 30. Kathy Tremblay, Montreal, 2:05:02 |
