It was only a matter of weeks on from her Olympic triumph in Tokyo, but Flora Duffy continued her remarkable journey into the triathlon stars on Saturday afternoon as she powered to the Groupe Copley World Triathlon Championship Series Montreal gold.
The two-day, super-sprint format was
brand new for the Series, but the result strangely familiar, providing another
big chapter in the ongoing story of the 2021 world title chase. The Bermudian
came through the first two elimination races and then held off the best in the
world to secure a first WTCS gold since 2018 and vital points that will take
her to the top of the Maurice Lacroix Series Ranking with one race to come.
In the final throes, it had been
Taylor Knibb again powering through the 7.2km bike as she had all weekend,
Duffy and Taylor Spivey for company, but neither could hold on once the Olympic
Champion went away at the bell, eventually wrapping things up in true style:
with the fastest time of the entire weekend’s six women’s races.
“It was incredibly brutal but it was
really nice to do something different,” admitted Duffy. “I have never done this
style of racing. I think for me and where I am at with my career, to do something
new that makes me nervous and unsure is quite nice and kept things interesting
and exciting. As the rounds went on I started to feel better and better, I
certainly felt a heck of a lot better than yesterday, that was such a shock to
the system. I haven’t done much since the Olympics so that opened my body up
and today I felt pretty strong and tried to be as tactical as possible in the
first few rounds.
“Taylor Knibb is riding incredibly
well right now. She is so strong. I took advantage of that. Her tactic was to
go hard on the bike, I didn’t know whether she was as comfortable on the run so
I definitely took advantage of that and owe her a lot for that. On the last 2km
I just gave it everything. This is actually my first WTCS win since 2018 so it
feels good to be on top of this podium.”
STAGE ONE
After Friday's qualifiers, the day
began with 30 women lined up and three tough races on the path to the podium.
Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes led out of the water as she had twice on the Friday,
Laura Lindemann was there too, but Knibb was soon onto the front of the bike
and pushing the pace just as she had the day before.
Only ten seconds separated the top
24, Zaferes having to drive a third group chasing a second led by Non Stanford
and Verena Steinhauser, themselves losing ground on Duffy, Lindemann and Knibb.
Soon there were 20 athletes vying for
the 17 places available in the next round as the bike drew to a close, Knibb
never letting up the pace out front and opening up almost half a minute out of
T2, Zaferes, Emma Jackson and Stanford the three at the back of the chase pack.
Zaferes would ease her way into round
two across the run and further back it was to be Sian Rainsley who edged
through with the 20th spot ahead of Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS), Nina Eim (GER)
and Lopes off the run pace and Alice Betto unable to make it back from a tough
place out of the water to miss out too.
Stage 1 results. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2021_world_triathlon_montreal/513242?mc_cid=0926beaf66&mc_eid=6139649918
STAGE TWO
Out of the water and leading the 20
remaining athletes in race two it was again Knibb and the key was who could
stay on her wheel to get through. Eight athletes were together over the first
few hundred metres, Stanford and Nicole Van Der Kaay trying to bridge and stay
ahead of Anabel Knoll, Audrey Merle and Rainsley trying to get onto them.
For the chasers it was hard work
trying to make any headway, Stanford and Van Der Kaay their only targets at the
halfway point of the race. Knoll and Merle caught the Brit and New Zealander,
the four chasing down the last two spots in the final at the bell.
The gap was 30 seconds to the
leaders, Angelica Olmo and Marlene Gomez-Islinger the nearest to that foursome
still with slim hopes of the final, but despite her hard work on the bike,
Stanford delivered the run that secured her final berth, Van Der Kaay also
holding off the challengers behind to finish 10th and snare the precious last
spot.
Stage 2 results. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2021_world_triathlon_montreal/513243?mc_cid=0926beaf66&mc_eid=6139649918
STAGE THREE
Friday’s qualifiers, repechage and
Saturday’s first two stages of elimination had all whittled the women’s field
down to just ten athletes at the final start line, and there were familiar
faces set for one last effort.
Knibb had been in incredible form in
the three previous races, taking it on from the front and never relenting on
the pace. This time, though, it was Duffy first out of the water with Sophie
Coldwell and clearly keen to control how the bike segment played out and make
Knibb work to catch up.
Taylor Spivey and Laura Lindemann
(GER) were right with those two, but all ten came together over the opening
kilometre until Knibb once again took the race on. There was no discernible
surge from the American, just an attritional drive over the remaining 6km that
slowly saw athletes sliced off the back of the group, Zaferes losing precious
ground on the second lap as Duffy and Spivey came through and in mere moments
the three suddenly had their opening.
Now Zaferes was trying to drive on
the likes of Leonie Periault and Lindemann but without success, the gap 30
seconds as Spivey led the trio into transition and spun out in front. Duffy had
dropped back a few yards but the elastic held strong and she closed back in on
Knibb.
With the three back together, the
bell and the crowd’s cheers was the signal Duffy took to make her final and
decisive play. The Olympic champion stretched away, the two Americans locked
into a battle for silver until Knibb found an extra gear of her own to drop
Spivey and take the silver.
Zaferes finished fourth 9 seconds
back and ahead of Periault and Lindemann, Coldwell, Steinhauser, Van Der Kaay
and Stanford rounding out the top 10.
“Every race was a little different, I
was grateful to make it to the last round and just take one race at a time,”
said Knibb. “I had no strategy, if anyone was wondering this weekend. My coach
just said go out there, have fun and race and I did. I am very surprised and
grateful. Congrats to Flora, she ran impressively and congrats to Taylor
Spivey, she really made it a fight and I love that.”
“I am really surprised,” admitted
Taylor Spivey. “The last few months have been really tough, not making the US
team. I have been pretty down these past few months and I am just so happy to
come away with a podium in Montreal. I did not know how I would do today. This
format is so unusual… I can’t even put it into words. I was really trying to
focus on the little things, the transitions and the little intricacies of the
race are just so incredibly important.”
The full final results can be found
here. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2021_world_triathlon_montreal/453983?mc_cid=0926beaf66&mc_eid=6139649918
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
World Triathlon is the international
governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all
related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon,
cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney
2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at
Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at
Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport
worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our
core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be
extraordinary.
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