Hunter Kemper Posts Second Straight Podium Finish

USA Triathlon

May 8, 2011 (Monterrey, Mexico) – USA Triathlon National Team member Sarah Haskins rode away from the field to earn her first career World Cup victory, and three-time Olympian Hunter Kemper grabbed his second straight podium finish to lead a strong showing for the United States at the Monterrey International Triathlon Union World Cup on Sunday.

A 2008 Olympian, Haskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) covered the Olympic-distance course in 1 hour, 57 minutes, 15 seconds to claim gold, while Kemper (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned the men’s bronze medal in 1:47:11 to continue a solid start to 2011. He was victorious at the April 17 World Cup event in Ishigaki, Japan.

Three additional U.S. standouts claimed top-10 finishes Sunday, as Gwen Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.) was fifth in the women’s race in 1:57:32, and Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.) and Matt Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.) placed sixth and eighth in the men’s event in 1:47:37 and 1:47:50, respectively. In all, seven Americans finished in the top 20.

As usual, Haskins was one of the leaders out of the water, and a group of six owned a 40-second lead on the field. Once on the bike, Haskins and Bermuda’s Flora Duffy broke away on lap number 2. Haskins eventually pulled away from Duffy and built a 1-minute, 24-second advantage heading into T2.

“Once I got on the bike, I noticed that Flora and I had a gap right away,” said Haskins. “About with three laps, two and a half laps to go, I just looked behind me. I didn’t see Flora, so I just kind of made the decision; I only had two and a half laps to go. I just went.”

With a comfortable lead heading onto the 10-kilometer run, Haskins cruised to the tape, holding off runner-up Ai Ueda of Japan by six seconds. Haskins’ victory was the 55th all-time World Cup title for the United States. Click here for a complete women’s recap from ITU.

In the men’s race there was little separation over the swim or bike, and a group of nearly 70 athletes hit T2 together. Three Americans—Kemper, Shoemaker and Chrabot—were among a pack of seven that gained separation and ran together over the first 5k. Eventual winner Brendan Sexton of Australia pulled away on the third lap of the run and crossed the line in 1:46:56.

Kemper closed strong and caught Ruedi Wild of Switzerland in the final 400 meters for his second World Cup podium finish of the season. Both Shoemaker and Chrabot finished within 40 seconds of the podium.

“It feels good. It was a hot day out here today, and I was strong in all three disciplines,” said Kemper. “I had a pretty decent swim. The bike ride I was in front the whole time, just trying to be smart position-wise and it was good. And then in the run I was plugging away, leading the first 5k, and I just got tired with the heat. … The last couple of laps, it was survival.”

2011 Monterrey ITU Triathlon World Cup

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

Elite Women

1. Sarah Haskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:57:15
2. Ai Ueda (JPN), 1:57:21
3. Anne Haug (GER), 1:57:27
5. Gwen Jorgensen (Milwaukee, Wis.), 1:57:32
17. Alicia Kaye (Maynard, Mass.), 1:59:16
28. Jillian Petersen (St. Louis, Mo.), 2:00:35
38. Amanda Felder (Cupertino, Calif.), 2:01:28
60. Amanda Hahn (Boulder, Colo.), 2:08:14

Elite Men

1. Brendan Sexton (AUS), 1:46:56
2. Frederic Belaubre (FRA), 1:47:06
3. Hunter Kemper (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:47:11
6. Jarrod Shoemaker (Maynard, Mass.), 1:47:37
8. Matt Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:47:50
15. Manuel Huerta (Miami, Fla.), 1:48:18
32. Steve Sexton (Pilot Hill, Calif.), 1:49:36
39. Mark Fretta (Portland, Ore.), 1:50:00