It was double delight for the huge crowd on the Auckland
waterfront this afternoon as Kiwis dominated the ITU World Cup
Triathlon, claiming three of the six medals on offer, including
gold to Andrea Hewitt and Kris Gemmell.
The day began for many in pre-dawn darkness as 1,100 age group
competitors battled it out for qualifying spots at next year's
World Championships at the same Auckland venue.
And the late afternoon ended in an emotional celebration for
Palmerston North's Gemmell, who ended a wretched year on the best
possible high as he dominated from start to finish with Bevan
Docherty claiming second and Australian Ryan Fisher third.
Gemmell was delighted to return to the winners' circle.
"We all needed to race well and I haven't had the best year, with
some health issues and family stuff going on. And it gets a bit
tiring telling people I have problems and people don't believe you.
When you're a car and you've only got six cylinders and you
want eight and then you're racing against the best in the
world you just can't race against them. It's nice to be back to
full health and now I can see what I can do," Gemmell said.
"There's been some shadows following me most of my career but
today the sun was shining brightly on me. It was amazing with the
public and the course. I felt pretty comfortable on the run, to be
honest. I felt like I could go faster at any moment and I really
enjoyed the atmosphere.
Gemmell spoke of the news that rocked his family a month ago, news
that helped drive him to his win today and left him in tears after
crossing the line.
"I don't want to sound like a hypocrite - I don't know what it's
like for families and people who have cancer - I like to pretend I
know but all I know is that I want to help. Tim (Gemmell's cousin)
got diagnosed with a brain tumour four weeks ago and it gave him a
life sentence which I don't think is very fair.
"So I just want to help as much as I can and give some of my prize money and my sponsors will match that and I hope the little I can give will help these people."
Docherty made it a memorable one-two for the Kiwi men. The US-based athlete was pleased with his performance today and thrilled with the way the city of Auckland and the country has supported the event.
Hewitt's plan pays off
Hewitt was just as dominant as Gemmell, leading virtually from start to finish in the women's race as she held off two Japanese athletes,Tomoko Sakimoto and Mariko Adachi. Afterwards Hewitt admitted that she felt comfortable throughout.
"No, no, it wasn't that hard, I had prepared specifically for this race. I did training after Beijing and Yokohama and really, really wanted to do well here. And so I did - so I'm really happy.
"I was surprised we could get such a small group away on the bike, but that's what I wanted. So, it's all in the plan. And five of us on the bike was a great way to do it.
"My legs felt a little bit sore starting the run but I just tried to pace myself and I managed to get away from the Japanese girls straight away, so, just kept going and had a good win. \
"The course was great though, tough yes but great. The first few
laps we just tried really hard on the hills just to get a group
away and we ended up dropping a few girls, and then we had a group
of five for the final, for the second half of the race...that's how
it all worked out, and it all came together.
Young Teresa Adam was to the forefront throughout the swim and the
bike, playing her role in the leading group of five before fading
on the run but showing her potential in the sport she has only been
involved in for three years.
