Murray & Holland win ITU WTS Edmonton By ITU Triathlon
Published September 7, 2015
Photo: Rich Cruse / ITU Media
Photo: Rich Cruse / ITU Media 1 of {count}
Richard Murray and Vicky Holland secured their second wins of the ITU World Triathlon Series on a tough day in Edmonton.
The men’s race
Richard Murray (RSA) put together a remarkable day under tough and chilly conditions to secure his second ever World Triathlon Series win on Sunday in Edmonton.
“Javi was hanging on the whole time and I really had to give it everything,” Murray said. “I had some issues at the start of the day. I broke my swim cap, I had to give it everything in the end. My swim was much better than last year, and I managed to push hard on the bike.”
Driving to become the first athlete to win five World Championships, Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) finished second to retain the top Columbia Threadneedle Rankings spot in the last WTS event ahead of the Grand Final. Compatriot Mario Mola, who sits second in the rankings, took third, which makes him just 225 points behind Gomez just a week ahead of the World Championships.
“Today was a very different race,” Gomez said. “I tried to keep going, but it wasn’t very fast, I couldn’t feel my feet for the first two run laps. I tried to hang on with Richard. Maybe I wasn’t confident enough to beat him (Murray) in the end, but after racing so much, it’s a good result. It’s always good to be ahead of Mario and Vincent but it will all come down to the Grand Final and that’s what I’m focused on.”
The men’s race saw important changes in the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings, as Vincent Luis (FRA) moved into third over Spaniard Fernando Alarza. Luis’ fourth place finish makes him just 277 points behind leader Gomez. Likewise, Murray’s win makes him fourth in the Rankings with just 530 points separating the top four men, mean if any of those men could be named World Champion on September 19.
The quick 750 meter one-lap swim gave no individual the time to draw out a large lead, with Raoul Shaw (FRA) and Eric Lagerstrom (USA) leading the men out of the water and into T1. With no time to create a gap, a group of just over 20 men formed together to make up the lead pack on the four-lap 20km bike.
Tucked safety inside included pre-race heavyweights Murray, Gomez, and Vincent Luis while Aaron Royle (AUS) and Tom Bishop (GBR) consistently hammered away at the front of the group.
However, their efforts weren’t enough to keep the chase, which included Mola, from bridging up as more than 40 men came together at the end of the third bike lap.
Off the bike, Murray and his South African teammate Wian Sullwald gunned to the front of the pack early on the first of three run laps. But by the end of that lap, Murray had pulled away with Gomez, who won World Triathlon Stockholm two weeks ago followed by a bronze at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships last weekend, showed his tenacity and went with him.
Behind them, Royle ran past Sullwald in an effort to repeat his World Triathlon Stockholm podium. But it wasn’t to be as Mola mustered up the guts to overtake the Australian on the second lap.
While Gomez stayed on Murray’s hip throughout the run, the South African was just too strong on Sunday as he lengthened his stride and pulled far enough away on the last lap to keep the reigning World Champ at a great enough distance to win the race.
Gomez held the pace to keep himself in second, while Mola crossed over with the third fastest race of the day in bronze medal position.
“It’s been the toughest hour of my life,” Mola said. “I kept thinking it wasn’t going to end. It was good for me with third. It was important for me to get a good result here to be able to fight for the World Championship in Chicago. Javi isn’t going to make it easy for me.”
The women’s race
Vicky Holland (GBR) scorched through the run at the penultimate race of the 2015 World Triathlon Series in Edmonton to score her second World Triathlon win of the year.
Behind her, Flora Duffy (BER) and Gillian Backhouse (AUS) completed the podium, with Duffy securing her highest WTS finish ever, while the bronze for Backhouse was her first WTS medal.
Carolina Routier (ESP) and Anastasia Abrosimova (RUS) set the pace in the one-lap 750m swim as the first two athletes out of the water. Despite the short swim, a sharp turn around the lake saw the women string out early in the race, which lent itself to a pack of 15 women getting an early lead onto the four-lap 20km bike.
Duffy and Emma Moffatt (AUS) went to work early on the bike course in pushing the pack to keep their cadence too high for the chase to catch. While Kirsten Sweetland (CAN) and Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) rode alone in a two-woman chase to join the leaders, their dual power wasn’t enough to reel in the leaders with two laps to go.
The young Backhouse and Dominika Jamnicky (CAN) had phenomenal showings on the bike, as they alternated taking their turns at the front of the lead pack that included Holland, Helen Jenkins (GBR), and Laura Lindemann (GER), the latter of whom won the Junior World Championships in Edmonton last year.
The chilly temperatures meant several women suffered slow transitions off the bike onto the run, but it was no problem for Anja Knapp (GER) or Jamnicky, who blasted onto the three-lap run course first. However, it didn’t take long for Duffy and Holland to suck the ladies back in and surpass them as they sought out the podium.
By the end of the first of three run laps, Holland ran with intention to claim her second WTS win of the year, zooming ahead of Duffy by four seconds. That advantage only continued to increase over the 5km course, with the Brit ensuring the 2015 World Triathlon Series podium would be topped by only three women to date.
Behind Holland, Duffy maintained her distance over Backhouse, who was also managing to keep Routier at bay. Duffy sailed over for silver, while a jubilant Backhouse ran over for bronze.
“I’ve been with my coach for two years now,” said an emotional Backhouse. “Particularly this year, we’ve really been able to build into my training and give it a go in the World Triathlon Series.”
With the Grand Final set to take place in Chicago September 15-20, the win moves Holland into fifth in the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings.
2015 ITU World Triathlon Series Edmonton
Results
Top 5 men
1. Richard Murray (RSA) 53:19
2. Javier Gomez Noya (ESP) 53:23
3. Mario Mola (ESP) 53:34
4. Vincent Luis (FRA) 53:39
5. Aaron Royle (AUS) 53:40
Top 5 women
1. Vicky Holland (GBR) 58:55
2. Flora Duffy (BER) 59:04
3. Gillian Backhouse (AUS) 59:10
4. Carolina Routier (ESP) 59:20
5. Anja Knapp (GER) 59:41
FILED UNDER: News / Race Results TAGS: 2015 / Edmonton / ITU World Triathlon Series / Javier-Gomez / Race / Result / Richard Murray / Vicky-Holland
Lors de la neuvième et avant dernière étape des ''World Triathlon Series'',  courte distance, qui s'est déroulée à  au  le 6 septembre, le Sud-Africain  et la Britannique  ont remporté la deuxième étape de leur carrière sur le circuit international organisé par le .

Richard Murray double champion d'Afrique en 2011 et 2012, prend la première place en s'imposant devant le tenant du titre et quadruple champion du monde  en 53 minutes et 19 secondes. 

Vicky Holland s'alloue la victoire en 58 minutes et 55 secondes devant la Bermudienne  championne du monde en titre de . 

Au classement général de la compétition, Murray et Holland occupe après cette victoire les 4 et 6 place des tableaux masculins et féminins.