Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Series
USA Triathlon
story | results
June 21, 2009 (Washington, DC) – Andy Potts and Sarah Haskins led the charge for the host United States at Sunday’s Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Series races in Washington, DC.
Potts and Haskins each finished fourth in their respective races at the only U.S. stop in the inaugural eight-race series. It was the third stop on the tour, which will culminate in Gold Coast, Australia in September.
After the day opened with more than 1,000 age groupers racing in sprint and Olympic-distance events, the elite men took to the course for their 1.5k swim, 40k bike, and 10k run through the Potomac River and onto the steets of the nation’s capital.
Potts led the men out of the water, and along with fellow American Hunter Kemper, Alistair Brownlee (Great Britain), Javier Gomez (Spain) and Maik Petzold (Germany), put a quick 40 seconds onto a large chase pack. But that lead ballooned to nearly two mintues by the time the eight loops of the bike were complete.
Out onto the run, Brownlee and Gomez pulled ahead, with Petzold close behind and the Americans further back. The race at the front would change little through the four laps. Brownlee grabbed the win in 1:48:58, just 13 seconds ahead of 2008 Olympic champion Gomez. Petzold finished third in 1:49:24. Potts finished in 1:49:51 and Kemper was fifth in 1:50:24.
Jarrod Shoemaker grabbed eighth to cling to the fifth spot in the World Championships Series points race.
In the women’s race, Haskins was the first out of the water and entered the bike loops with teammates Laura Bennett and Sarah Groff along with a strong group of five other international athletes. That group was caught midway on the bike to form a large lead pack of 16 riders, but Haskins and fellow American Mary Beth Ellis made a break with a little over a lap to go that gave the pair a 30-second lead heading out onto the run.
That lead was shortlived, however, as the strong runners made their move. Moffatt, Emma Snowsill (Australia), and Daniela Ryf (Switzerland) were able to pull past the Americans. Haskins maintained a strong pace to hold onto fourth. Moffatt grabbed the win in 1:59:55, with Snowsill close behind in 2:00:25. Ryf was third in 2:01:01. Haskins’ time was 2:01:27. Groff finished in ninth.
