The temperatures may have been
tipping past 30C on Saturday evening as the women took to the start of the 2022
World Triathlon Cup Huatulco, but it was Annika Koch who kept her cool to land
a magnificent debut World Cup gold in Mexico.
Even after after a tough 20km in the
saddle had seen a huge pack form and head into T2, it was the 23-year-old
German who was out first and never looked back, finding her rhythm and extending
her lead right to the line while Canada’s Emy Legault dug deep to hold off
Bianca Seregni (ITA) for the silver.
“It’s amazing, I hoped for a podium
and I felt good the whole race. I gave it my all and I am really happy that it
went so well,” said a thrilled Annika Koch. “I mean, you always race to win but
it doesn’t happen that often - it’s just the best feeling. I started running
and felt quite good but said to myself not to keep the pace too high because
from one second to the next, in the heat, it can get really bad, so just tried
to hydrate the whole time and cool down at every aid station.”
The waters were calm for the cove
beach start, the threat of a storm subsiding leaving 56 women to line up for
the start of a 750m swim in the warm 30C Pacific Ocean. Race number one Erika
Ackerlund (USA) took to the right side of the sand for what looked the shortest
line to the buoy, Seregni the only one of the highest-ranked women to opt for
the far left, choosing to follow the line of the pier.
That tactic worked well as she was
soon in clear water and spearheading the field towards the first buoy and a
long turn back to shore, Kira Gupta-Baltazar (CAN) giving chase.
As the athletes made their way back
in, Lizeth Rueda Santos was met by a roar as the leading Mexican in third,
Japan’s Kotomi Anzai and Yuka Sato also delivering great swims, but Seregni
already had 20 seconds of daylight.
The long run to transition spread the
field further, Koch, Ackerlund and Luisa Baptista (BRA) well placed but Anzai
was struggling to mount and lost ground as she hit the tarmac, while Austria’s
Lisa Perterer was a minute off the Italian leader after a difficult time in the
swim.
Seregni’s time alone out front was to
be short-lived, passing up the prospect of pushing hard for a solo breakaway in
the heat and allowing herself to be caught by the likes of Legault, Cecilia
Perez (MEX) and Ivana Kuriackova (SVK).
By the halfway point of the bike the
third pack had caught on too, 32 athletes now together snaking through
transition at the bell after the unfortunate Ackerlund tried to ride through a
puncture only to veer into the curb and come off, her hopes of a first podium
dashed.
The athletes poured into transition
led by Koch, Legault, Seregni and Baptista, Huatulco-specialist Perterer now in
striking position too, Ecuador’s Elizabeth Bravo 12 seconds back.
Mexico’s Rosa Maria Tapia Vidal and
Cecilia Sayuri Ramirez Alavez were met with huge cheers as they managed to hang
tough with the leaders, but as Koch went through the gears and looked
increasingly comfortable up front, it soon became clear that only Legault and
Seregni were going to be able to stay in touch.
Perterer was also going well but,
with the battle for silver heating up ahead, Legault and Seregni would not be
caught, the Canadian giving everything she had to hold onto second, only for
Seregni to pass with 1km to go.
As Koch took the final left turn to
the blue carpet, she knew she had time to soak up the moment, a mixture of
delight and relief on her face as she lifted the tape, while Legault had
rallied to pass the Italian one last time and drive to the line and ensure her
first World Cup podium would be silver.
Lisa Perterer crossed in fourth, Rosa
Tapia was Mexico’s top finisher in fifth ahead of Brazil’s Baptista in sixth.
For the full results, click here. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2022_world_triathlon_cup_huatulco/545503?mc_cid=87fe0bc96c&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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