USA Triathlon
August 27, 2009 (Colorado Springs, CO) – Matt Chrabot (Virginia Beach, Va. / Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Jenna Shoemaker (Subdury, Mass. / Boulder, Colo.) are the 2009 USA Triathlon Twenty-12 Elite Series champions after their performances at USAT Elite Nationals on August 22.
Chrabot won the championship race to earn 50 points and move past Kevin Collington, Tim O’Donnell and 2008 Olympic Matt Reed in the final standings. Shoemaker continued her strong 2009 campaign by finishing second in the national championship to claim the Series crown.
The Series wins provided the two rising stars with big cash payouts. They each received $5,000 for the win, plus a $5,000 bonus from swimwear company Speedo for being the top Americans in the Series.
The men’s final top-5 consisted of Matt Reed in second ($2,500 bonus as second American), Tim O’Donnell in third, Kevin Collington in fourth, and Brian Fleischmann in fifth.
For the women, newcomer Hayley Peirsol finished second ($2,500 bonus), U23 National Champion Jennifer Spieldenner was third, Mary Beth Ellis was fourth, and Canadian Tenille Hoogland was fifth.
Athletes received points at each Series race for finishing in the top 10. Each athlete’s top 3 scoring races were included in the final standings, and athletes needed to compete in at least three of the five events to be in the running for the title. Last week’s final race was worth double points.
The Series is part of the four-year build up to the 2012 London Olympic Games. The 2009 Series gives triathlon fans a chance to see athletes who are looking to qualify for the 2012 Games. The Series includes U.S. and international competitors, some who have competed in past Olympic Games and others who are beginning to make names for themselves on the international triathlon circuit.
The Twenty-12 Elite Race Series consisted of the Boathouse International Triathlon in Oklahoma City, Okla., the CapTex Tri in Austin, Texas, the Hy-Vee Triathlon in Des Moines, Iowa, the San Francisco Triathlon at Treasure Island, and the USA Triathlon Elite and U23 National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
