Sit back and watch this candid, no holds barred interview with Australian legend Chris McCormack. In a frank conversation before his comeback race in Kitzbühel this weekend, McCormack is his normal open and honest self covering some hot topics, including his return to ITU racing and his quest for Olympic selection.
‘Macca’ also discusses how he first started in the sport, his early races, the evolution of his career, the disappointment of not making the Australian Olympic team and his greatest achievements. He’s forthright about his move from ITU to Ironman and back again, and McCormack also talks about what he feels is needed if anybody is to topple the Brownlees and Gomez in London.
Full live video coverage of the event can be found on http://www.triathlonlive.tv.
McCormack quickly rose to become world number one after first appearing on the professional triathlon circuit in 1996. Having won almost every major standard distance global triathlon event, Macca was the first male triathlete to win both the ITU World Championships and ITU World Cup Series in the same year. In 2002, Macca shifted his attention to long distance competition where his success continued, becoming Ironman World Champion in 2007 and 2010.
Some excerpts from the interview:
My wife calls this my midlife crisis. I’m not buying a fast car, I’m returning to the fastest most competitive triathlon racing in the world.
To bring my children to an Olympic games, for my career to go full circle, to finish where it started, I could walk away from the sport on the day of that closing ceremony. IT would be a dream come through – a fairytale.
I know what I’m capable of, I know that Javier, the Brownlees, the German kids, they’re quicker than I was when I was at my best, but what I know I have got, it’s that I’ve got nothing to lose, and somebody who’s got nothing to lose can be very, very dangerous.
Sit back and enjoy this extended interview with Chris McCormack.
Follow every movement live through Triathlon’s live online TV feed, or through live audio and text updates, both at http://www.triathlonlive.tv. Follow onTwitter at http://twitter.com/triathlonlive.
The elite men’s race starts at 14:30 (local time) on Saturday 18 June.
Click here to view the men’s start list
The elite women take over Kitzbühel on Sunday, starting at 12:30 local time.
Click here to view the women’s start list
Find more details about this event - 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon - ITU World Championship Series Kitzbuehel
see the video and more links in
http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/chris_mccormack_interview/
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Alistair Brownlee leads from start to finish in stunning Kitzbühel win
18/06/11 at 3:33 pm
Wet, windy and cold weather did nothing to dampen Alistair Brownlee’s stellar Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship series form, as the 23 year-old destroyed the field for the second time in two weeks to win Kitzbühel and take the lead in the overall 2011 standings.
Brownlee was the fastest man in the swim, equal fastest in the bike and then blitzed the field in the run for his second consecutive Dextro Energy Triathlon Series win – after taking out Madrid just two weeks ago – and move ahead of Javier Gomez and younger brother Jonathan in the overall rankings.
“I looked at the sport and I thought I want to be a kind of athlete who can win in any condition on any day, on any course, independent of how the race goes, and I think that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment.”
Alistair Brownlee, on his current form.
Afterwards, Brownlee said the conditions hadn’t worried him - except when he went to slow down at the end of the run.
“It wasn’t all difficult to be honest, I don’t think the conditions had that much of effect on me until the last couple of laps of the run,” he said. “I knew I had a decent lead and I knew I was racing next weekend (at the Pontevedra 2011 European Championships) so I kind of didn’t push on too much and I think that kind of hurt, and I think maybe I should have pushed on, I might have stayed a bit warmer.”
He also responded to comments that he was changing the sport, saying it was the best feedback he could receive.
“It’s fantastic, it’s the ultimate compliment” he said. “I looked at the sport and I thought I want to be a kind of athlete who can win in any condition on any day, on any course, independent of how the race goes, and I think that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment. I raced hard out of the swim today, I managed to get away at the end of the bike, and then had a good run today too, so it’s great winning in every situation.”
In tough conditions - with a starting air temperature of 17.2degrees - Brownlee was first out of the water. After three groups came together in the first lap of the bike, Brownlee then stayed at the front of a huge 50-man peloton for five laps before making a break with Stuart Hayes and Reinaldo Colucci. Those three then hit T2 with a gap of 30seconds on the rest, just as the rain was really starting to pour. From there Brownlee simply blitzed the field, dropping Colucci and Hayes within a few hundred metres and going on to win by almost a minute. It’s the second time Brownlee has won Kitzbühel, he won in 2009 before finishing 40th in 2010.
While the gold medal was decided early on, there was a thrilling battle for the other podium places as Alexander Brukhankov, Brad Kahlefeldt, Sven Riederer, William Clarke and Laurent Vidal ran through and passed Hayes and Colucci in the first few kilometres. Just around the five kilometre mark, Brukhankov made a break and stayed clear to claim silver. Riederer then made his break on the bell lap, holding on to claim his second bronze medal for the 2011 season - after also finishing third in Sydney.
Riederer said that wasn’t a coincidence, as it also poured in the season opening race, and he’s a fan of cold weather.
“It was a perfect day for me, it’s a weather for me, I like it really much to have the weather like it was today and it’s fantastic to have the second podium for this season,” he said.
Clarke finished fourth, Kahlefeldt fifth and Vidal sixth. Russian’s Vladimir Turbaevskiy, Dmitry Polyansky, Frenchman Vincent Luis and Kiwi Bevan Docherty rounded out the top-10.
In other notable results, Chris McCormack’s return to ITU racing 14-years after he claimed an ITU World Championship had an early end, when he pulled out five laps into the bike. McCormack was one of the last out of the water and was about 4minutes down on the lead pack when he pulled out. Macca wasn’t alone though as the conditions claimed plenty, with Simon Whitfield, Courtney Atkinson and Steffen Justusalso pulling out.
Brownlee is now leading the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon Series rankings after three rounds, on 1690 points. Brukhankov is now in second with 1663. Javier Gomez and Jonathan Brownlee, who both didn’t race in Kitzbühel are in third and fourth, with Riederer moving up to fifth.
Elite Men
1. Alistair Brownlee GBR GB 01:51:54
2. Alexander Brukhankov RUS RU 01:52:38
3. Sven Riederer SUI CH 01:52:59
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11 Mario Mola ESP ES 01:53:29
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35 Ivan Rana ESP ES 01:55:00
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42 Ramon Ejeda Medina ESP ES 01:55:41
http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/alistair_brownlee_leads_from_start_to_finish_in_stunning_kitzbuehel_win/
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