Sarah Groff Leads U.S. Squad at Hamburg WCS Event

Groff Earns Pan Am Games Berth with 13th-place Finish

USA Triathlon

July 17, 2011 (Hamburg, Germany) – USA Triathlon National Team member Sarah Groff placed 13th to pace a trio of Americans in action Sunday at the fourth stop of the 2011 ITU World Championship Series.

Groff (Hanover, N.H.) logged a time of 1 hour, 55 minutes, 26 seconds in the Olympic-distance event to cross the line as the top U.S. athlete for the third consecutive WCS race. Groff stands seventh in the WCS rankings through four of seven events.

By virtue of her top-15 finish, Groff earns a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2011 Pan American Games, which will be held Oct. 23 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Gwen Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.) used the day’s fifth-fastest run split to take 27th in 1:56:32, and Jillian Petersen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was 48th in 2:00:40.

Just 16 seconds down out of the water, Groff rode with the lead group throughout the bike, and a pack of 35 athletes entered T2 together. Six women pulled away on the first of four laps of the 10k run, and Australia’s Emma Moffatt led an Aussie sweep of the podium in 1:53:37, seven seconds ahead of Emma Jackson and Emma Snowsill.

In her second career WCS event, Jorgensen closed with a 33:44 10k split to run her way to 27th after entering T2 more than two minutes off the leaders. Only the event’s top four finishers posted faster run efforts than Jorgensen.

In Saturday’s men’s race, Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.) finished 47th in 1:49:32. Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia earned the win in 1:44:08.

The seven-race WCS is a key proving ground for the United States’ top triathletes aiming for a spot on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team. In addition to racing for WCS points, athletes also will be looking to earn points toward securing a spot for their country at the 2012 Olympic Triathlon in London.

Highlights of this year’s World Championship Series schedule include the first qualifier for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team in London on Aug. 6-7 and the Grand Final on the 2008 Olympic course in Beijing on Sept. 10-11.

Hamburg Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series

(1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run)

Men

1. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS), 1:44:08
2. William Clarke (GBR), 1:44:09
3. David Hauss (FRA), 1:44:09
47. Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.), 1:49:32
Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.) DNF

Women

1. Emma Moffatt (AUS), 1:53:37
2. Emma Jackson (AUS), 1:53:44
3. Emma Snowsill (AUS), 1:53:44
13. Sarah Groff (Hanover, N.H.), 1:55:26
27. Gwen Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.), 1:56:32
48. Jillian Petersen (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2:00:40