Credit – [World Triathlon]
Racing at the second World Triathlon Cup of the year a number of top British elites were out in force over the flat and fast sprint format in China for the Haikou Elite World Cup.
Warm conditions for early racing meant non wetsuit conditions and Michael Gar made the most of his swim pedigree to push the pace in the men’s race over the 750m swim and lead out into T2. The next Brit following behind was Alex Robin, racing in his first Elite World Cup, just 10s back alongside Brandon Pye a further 3s behind in his debut World Cup also, both in their first season racing elite/U23, post Junior.
4 British athletes made the front bike group including Gar, Robin, Pye and Oliver Conway, the reigning U23 World Champion. With Hugo Milner behind in the chase group and the chasers struggling to make any inroads on the front pack, despite frustration ahead with taking turns, it paved the way for the 15 strong front group to enter T2 with an advantageous gap heading onto what would be a quick 5km run. With some top runners in the chase group including Brit Hugo Milner and Spaniard David Cantero, winner of the Lanzarote World Cup last weekend, over just 5k it would prove a close race all the way to the line.
Michael Gar led out of T2 and pushed the pace early into the 5km taking a solo gap over the group that began to form behind after the first kilometre, including Frenchman Baptiste Passemard and Brits Conway and Pye, as well as silver medallist from Lanzarote World Cup, Tim Hellwig of Germany. After the first of two laps, the groups started to split with Conway making his move and bridging the gap over to Gar with Tim Hellwig alongside, and not far behind Brit Hugo Milner was advancing rapidly through the field despite his deficit starting the run, dropping Cantero and catching the front duo of Conway and Hellwig heading into the final kilometre.
With the pace ramping up massively in the final half a km Oliver Conway overcame German Tim Hellwig onto the blue carpet to take his first win of the season with Hugo Milner claiming 3rd just 5s back, with the fastest run of the day taking the 5km in a rapid time of 13.51. Brandon Pye crossed 5th with Michael Gar in 10th and Alex Robin 12th.
For both Pye and Robin this was their debut elite World Triathlon race and Elite World Cup after finishing their Junior racing seasons just last year.
Elite Women
Credit – [World Triathlon]
In the Elite Women’s race just 2 Brits lined up for the sprint distance later in the day with both Sian Rainsley and Olivia Mathias starting their World Triathlon season in China off the back of successful seasons last year.
Over the 750m swim Olivia Mathias took the lead early on and set the pace at the front much like Michael Gar in the men’s race, earlier in the day. Sian Rainsley, second Brit out of the water put herself in a strong position heading onto the bike also, exiting just 8s back in 4th.
Through majority of the first lap Mathias led the bike as a two up the road, taking on majority of the work herself, whilst a bigger main front pack formed close behind including Rainsley. Coming to the end of the first lap of 4 Mathias’s gap closed soon after her breakaway compatriot Levi of Israel crashed out after she looked behind and lost awareness. With just over 15 in the front group, they stayed clear from the chasers over the bike with both Brits leaving T2 to start the run in a good position to take top spots.
Some lead athletes pushed the pace on the first lap including Australian Malowiecki and neutral athlete Isakova, splitting the field to form a front group of 5 which included Rainsley. As the group became 3 into the last kilometre on lap 2, heading onto the blue carpet for the last few hundred metres, the group of 3 including the Australian, neutral athlete and Rainsley split as Isakova opened up just a few metres in the final stretch to take the win, with Sian Rainsley taking 3rd to round out the podium, just 5s behind in her first World Triathlon competition of the year, as was the same for Olivia Mathias finishing 6th.
British Elite Men:
- 1. Oliver Conway
- 3. Hugo Milner
- 5. Brandon Pye
- 10. Michael Gar
- 12. Alex Robin
British Elite Women:
- 3. Sian Rainsley
- 6. Olivia Mathias
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