The 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series got up and running on Saturday with WTCS Yokohama, and it was a dream return to the blue carpet for USA’s Taylor Knibb as she delivered a timeless performance to win gold and guarantee herself a place on the Olympic start line.
It was a devastating bike with Maya
Kingma (NED) that dictated the race, the pair putting in a huge margin on the
rest of the field, USA’s Summer Rappaport eventually catching the rising
Netherlands star to take silver, Kingma again showing her great form with a
first WTCS medal.
“I wasn’t really thinking about Tokyo
I just wanted to get to that finish line,” admitted Knibb. “Maya was so good on
the technical sections of the bike so I just wanted to pay attention to that
and push on the sections where the group was slower. I was just like ‘I gotta
run’, knew I just needed second and there wasn’t a lot of time for thinking!”
Race number one Katie Zaferes and
teammate Taylor Spivey lined up side-by-side on the pontoon knowing that a
podium finish would guarantee their place alongside Rappaport on the plane to
Tokyo. Two distinct groups of swimmers then closed in on the first buoy at the
250m mark, Helena Carvalho (POR) leading the way around it enjoying clear
water.
Rappaport was soon right alongside
the Portuguese and then out front on her own at the halfway point, and by the
final turn Zaferes was 30 seconds back with Joanna Brown (CAN) and Lotte Miller
(NOR).
Kingma had a smooth transition to
mount her bike first and laid down the challenge to the pack of ten behind that
included Amelie Kretz (CAN), Kirsten Kasper (USA), Yuko Takahashi (JPN) and
Sophie Coldwell (GBR).
With the leader quickly caught and fifteen
athletes in a train including Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) and Mexico’s Lizeth
Rueda Santos hanging on at the back, while 20 seconds behind were Vendula
Frintova (CZE), Edda Hannesdottir (ISL) and Laura Lindemann (GER).
Powered by the likes of Non Stanford
(GBR), Emilie Morier (FRA) and Barbara Riveros (CHI) the chase pack were
closing in, while Zaferes was over a minute back and hoping the groups would
merge and slow.
That was the trigger for Kingma and
Knibb to make their move, Lotte Miller the only one able to try and give chase
but she too soon realised that the young pair was just too powerful, building a
useful 10 second margin within the first few kilometres of their breakaway.
The pair was clearly relishing their
time up front, hoovering up the long corners and being able to inject the kind
of pace that the larger chase pack just couldn’t match. Kingma’s skill on the
technical sections and Knibb’s raw power on the straights was proving the
perfect combination at the halfway point with a 30 second lead opened up.
With three laps to go that gap was up
to a huge 75 seconds, the sweep around transition showing the two out front
exactly how well their work was paying off and hurting the likes of Spivey who
only saw the margin grow with each pass. Incredibly, at the bell it was up to
nearly two minutes, Zaferes, Sif Bendix Madsen (DEN) and Claudia Rivas (MEX) a
further 30 seconds back.
Kingma led Knibb out of T2 and onto
the run well before the chasers had hit the blue carpet and with a crucial 10km
ahead of them. Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS) and Claire Michel (BEL) were leading
the swarm out of T2, Zaferes now right among them.
Kirsten Kasper (USA) and Valerie
Barthelemy (BEL) were among the strong runners looking to make some headway,
but it was Rappaport, the only American with her Olympic place assured, who
found herself moving into third by the end of the third lap and putting
daylight between her and the Stanford- led pack.
At the 5km mark Knibb had put 35
seconds over Kingma who was still moving well despite dropping off, Rappaport
closed to within a minute of the young Dutch and Spivey, Emilie Morier and
Miriam Casillas Garcia (ESP) among the names another 15 seconds off her.
Knibb afforded herself a smile as she
checked there was one lap to go, safe in the knowledge there was now a minute
to Kingma in second.
Rappaport at that stage was 15
seconds back but was closing in fast and caught the flying Dutchwoman, passing
her early in that last lap. Kingma was able to stay strong in third and a
brilliant first podium, Rappaort silver in one of her favourite races but Knibb
laying down a huge statement of intent to land the gold by 30 seconds and a
place on the plane to Tokyo.
Spivey came home with fourth, Julia
Hauser (AUT) and excellent fifth that gets her a ticket for the Olympic Games,
Coldwell, Stanford, Casillas, Claire Michel and Cassandre Beaugrand rounding
out the top ten.
“This is a favourite place to race
and I’m so happy to be back here and part of an American one-two,” said
Rappaport. “I’m the kind of athlete who likes to be in their room doing nothing
in race week so the build-up has been fine and I was just really happy and
grateful to race. I was focussed on catching Taylor and Maya after only racing
twice since the pandemic and today I felt I’d found my competitive edge again.”
“I was prepared to give it everything
on the swim and first lap of the bike and hope there was a small group,” said
Kingma. “Taylor escaped before I was planning to and she was so strong on the
straights, and we pulled away. I was just trying to keep her wheel and I saw
the gap growing. Two years ago I was suffering on the bike and today everything
felt like it was going well until the final lap and I just wanted to hang on to
Summer.”
Results: Elite Women
1. Taylor Knibb USA 01:54:27
2. Summer Rappaport USA 01:54:57
3. Maya Kingma NED 01:55:05
4. Taylor Spivey USA 01:55:23
5. Julia Hauser AUT 01:55:26
WHATCH IT ON TRIATHLONLIVE.TV
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