London 2012: Nicola Spirig wins triathlon just ahead of Lisa Norden
• The Swiss Spiring and Swede Norden given same time
• Team GB's Helen Jenkins misses out on Olympic medal
Saturday 4 August 2012 11.30 BST
Nicola Spirig of Switzerland, here in second, pipped Lisa Norden of Sweden, here third, in the Olympic women's triathlon. Photograph: Adam Pretty/Getty Images Switzerland's Nicola Spirig won a dramatic Olympic women's triathlon in Hyde Park after a photo finish with Sweden's Lisa Norden. Both women finished in the same time – 1hr 59m 48sec – but the judges ruled that Spirig has crossed the line first.
But there was disappointment for Helen Jenkins, who just missed out on a medal after finishing fifth. Australia's Erin Densham took bronze.
No British triathlete has ever won an Olympic medal, but Jenkins gave herself every chance and was in the leading group of five runners with 2.5km remaining. But with just over a kilometre to go, Jenkins was dropped and could only watch a thrilling four-way sprint unfold in front of her.
Jenkins, born in Scotland but based in Bridgend, went into the race as the pre-race favourite, and with good reason: she had won the world championship series event in Hyde Park last year, is the world champion, and had finished in the top two in her past nine races. She was also aided, for the first time, by the decision to pick a domestique – Lucy Hall – to help her during the race.
The plan was for Hall, one of the strongest swimmers in the world, to give Jenkins a tow in the water. Hall, however, did too well on the 1500m swim, getting away from all but six others to lead the race coming out of the water on 18min 17sec, four seconds clear of Line Jensen of Denmark with most of the favourites, including Jenkins more than a minute back.
But Jenkins – at the front of the chasing group on the bike – was able to cajole others to help her close the gap on the five leaders, which they did on the second lap of the 43km bike course. Once Jenkins's group had caught the leaders, Hall proved her worth, covering all the breaks on the bike, and ensuring Jenkins was able to rest her legs before the 10km run. It was not an easy ride, though – the rain falling on the greasy surfaces led to several crashes, including one of Pamela Oliveira of Brazil when she was in the leading group. The race was all set up for the 10km run. Jenkins, who was in eighth or ninth coming off the bike and out of transition, quickly made up the 10 metre gap to the leaders and soon there was a leading group of 10 runners on the course. That group became eight after the first of four 2.5km laps, and five with 5km to go. Jenkins, who did not want to leave it to a sprint, tried to push hard on the second and third laps of the run, but eventually she had nothing left to give. And she could only watch on as Spirig just outsprinted Norden to win gold in one of the greatest women's triathlon races in history.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/aug/04/london-2012-nicola-spirig-triathlon?newsfeed=true
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GERARDO RIQUELME. LONDRES 04/08/12 - 12:12.
En otro escenario fascinante, a la altura del que ofertó los Juegos Olímpicos de Sidney, Ainhoa Murua emergió en la vanguardia mundial. La triatleta de Zarautz fue séptima en el corazón de Londres, después de nadar 1,5 kilómetros en el lago de Hyde Park, serpentear durante 42,938 km por los aledaños del gran parque inglés en un pavimiento que en muchas curvas resbalaba y correr 10 kilómetros, donde el paso de Spirig, Norden y Densham le reventó. Acabó en una meritoria séptima posición, la misma plaza que Ana Burgos en Atenas 2004, después de tener que bajar el ritmo de carrera por un ataque de flato. "Toda la carrera fue un poco rara", decía Murua mientras se le colmaba de felicitaciones. "Pensábamos que Jenkins -la británica favorita que sólo pudo ser cuarta- saldría delante de la natación, pero no ha sido así y toda la estrategia de los británicos ha cambiado".
El desliz local, que aspiraba a hacer un doblete con Jenkins y los Brownlee el martes que viene, comprimió todo. Del agua salió una británica primero, Hall, cuya única misión era tirar a muerte hasta el sector a pie. Como la referencia de su equipo no llegaba, no hubo corte delante, una empresa complicada en un circuito en el que la cota más elevada son 25 metros. En ese grupo que se formó con 22 triatletas estaba Murua y Marina Damlaimcourt, la madrileña que llegó corta de entrenamiento. "Nunca había estado tan delante en la natación, pero luego he aflojado en donde mejor lo hago, que es la carrera a pie". El mérito de la joven fue alcanzar los Juegos después de haberle diagnosticado a comienzos de año una mononucleosis y un parvovirus que le hizo almacenar menos carga que al resto.
Consumido el sector de bicicleta, peligroso y con numerosas caídas cuando alguien aceleraba en la zona rápida, seis trialetas se quedaron delante: Denshaw, Norden, Spirig, Jenkins, Hewitt y Murua, que se movió cómoda al comienzo en un grupo en el que estaban la primera (Hewitt), la segunda (Jenkins) y la cuarta (Spirig), del ránking mundial, la que al final en un sprint que precisó de foto finish se coronó como la segunda suiza que conquista la medalla de oro del triatlón femenino tras Brigitte McMahon en 2000. El bronce fue para la australiana Erin Densham.
http://www.marca.com/2012/08/04/jjoo/triatlon/1344075162.html
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Women Triathlon Olympic Distance
Athlete Country Result
1 Nicola Spirig Switzerland 1:59:48
2 Lisa Nordén Sweden 1:59:48
3 Erin Densham Australia 1:59:50
4 Sarah Groff United States 2:00:00
5 Helen Jenkins Great Britain 2:00:19
6 Andrea Hewitt New Zealand 2:00:36
7 Ainhoa Murúa Spain 2:00:56
8 Emma Jackson Australia 2:01:16
9 Jessica Harrison France 2:01:22
10 Kate McIlroy New Zealand 2:01:28
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24 Marina Damlaimcourt Spain 2:02:50
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44 Zuriñe Rodríguez Spain 2:08:44
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http://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012/schedules/sport/triathlon
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