2013 Edmonton ITU Triathlon World Cup Race Videos

2013 Edmonton World Cup - Elite Men's Highlights



Edmonton, Canada (24 June 2013) - Gregory Rouault (FRA) ran to an emotional win at the Edmonton ITU Triathlon World Cup for his first-ever gold at a World Cup race in 57:39.

Kyle Jones repeated as the Canadian National Champion with silver seven seconds later. Behind him, representing Team ITU, Ukraine's Ivan Ivanov crushed the final meters for his first World Cup podium finish in 58:01.

Andrew McCartney flew out of the water in a speedy 8:14 and went billowing for his bike with a 19-second lead. The Canadian was followed by a huge contingency of men, making for a congested transition zone.

Led by Peter Kerr (AUS), the men hustled towards the three-lap bike course. On the first lap, several men fell rounding a corner, including Canada's Andrew Yorke, while the rest of the men reeled in McCartney. But the Canadian was relentless and held strong at the top of the lead pack. Meanwhile, pre-race favourites Kerr and Jones rode safely in the middle of the pack, conserving energy for the run.

With a speedy transition, Ivanov was first off his bike to head for the run course followed by 22 men hungry for the podium. The first lap of the run separated the eventual medallists from the field, with Rouault, Jones, Ivanov & Rodrigo Gonzalez (MEX) all hammering shoulder to shoulder as they jetted for the bell lap.

But it was Rouault who dug deep and pulled ahead in the final crucial turns towards the finish. With a goal to get on the World Triathlon Series circuit, Rouault wouldn't be beat on Sunday as he claimed his first World Cup victory.

Jones earned silver in 57:46 while an ecstatic Ivanov pumped his fists in felicity with his bronze medal.
Edmonton will next year host the 2014 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final.

2013 Edmonton World Cup - Elite Women's Highlights



http://digcan.com/sports/triathlon

Canada scored a huge day in the women's race, as Emelie Kretz, Ellen Pennock and Kirsten Sweetland swept the podium for the host country at the 2013 Edmonton ITU Triathlon World Cup.

"I'm really happy, especially with everything, the home crowd and on the next World Championship course," said Kretz, who also secured her first Canadian Naitonal Championship title with the win. "It's really amazing and I'm really happy with my performance today."

Kretz and Pennock went to work early, getting a quick advantage off the 1-lap 750m swim. The pair were followed by Claudia Rivas (MEX) and Erin Densham (AUS) and a sizable school of women.

Strong cyclist Flora Duffy (BER), who is no stranger to tough bike courses having won at the 2012 Huatulco World Cup, pushed the pace on the first long loop of the bike course, creating a small breakaway of 10 women. The lead group enjoyed nearly a minute lead coming off the first lap, as they headed for the two smaller 4.5km loops.

With a determined Duffy at the helm and out of her saddle riding through transition, the lead group of 10 gained another 15 seconds over the pack of chasers with one lap to go. 

Included in that ten were Rivas, Densham, Sweetland, Kretz, Pennock and Joanna Brown (CAN). By the time they hit the run, the chase group was hard pressed to make up a 1:20 deficit on the 5km sprint course.

Sweetland, Kretz and Pennock did major work on the first run lap, dropping a talented field for a 14-second advantage. America's Kaitlin Donner and Rivas attempted to keep pace behind them, while a struggling Densham fell to the back of the pack.

Kretz managed a breakaway on the final lap, leaving teammates Pennock and Sweetland behind. The 20-year old flew down the finish chute for her first World Cup title in 1:03:18. Pennock took silver, also her first World Cup medal in 1:03:29.

After struggling with injuries for a number of years, Sweetland got back on the podium with third in 1:03:35. Behind them, Brown ran herself into fourth, giving Canada a clean sweep of the top four positions in 1:03:49.

"First of all, sharing the podium with my young teammates was like a dream come true," said Sweetland. "It's great to be back here, yet alone the podium. I've about five years of struggle with injuries. I'm just glad I didn't give up."