WCS HAMBURG, DAY 1

Exciting racing today in Hamburg - great for the sport to have the showdown between Frodeno and Gomez go down the final kilometer. Women's race goes tomorrow, with Kirsten Sweetland back in action. Should be more great racing. 

From www.triathloncanada.com:

Simon Whitfield Leads Canucks with 12th-place Finish at Triathlon World Championship Series in Hamburg

            —Kyle Jones posts solid 16th-place finish, Spain’s Gomez runs to the gold—

HAMBURG, Ger.—Simon Whitfield finished as the top Canuck in 12th spot, while Kyle Jones posted another best-ever World Championship Series triathlon result when he placed 16th against the world’s elite athletes inHamburg, Germany on Saturday.

With a game plan to get himself back on track in Germany after a bit of a rough patch of results, the 35-year-old Whitfield admittedly had one of the worst 1.5-kiloemtre swims of his career, but slowly worked his way back into the lead group on the 40-kilometre bike before turning up the pace midway through the run to finish with a time of one hour 44 minutes 30 seconds (1:44:30).

“I haven’t had a swim that bad in a long time. It was really rough for me, and if you’re not swimming well it is tough to win,” said two-time Olympic medallist Whitfield. “I hate to say I accomplished my goals by finishing 12th, but I did today. I really wanted to just get back on track. With a few laps to go in the run, I really picked up the pace. I just have to stay the course and continue the consistency.”

Whitfield’s young teammate, Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., who missed the first half of the season with a series of injuries, continues to post strong results en route to fighting his way up the international standings. The 25-year-old clocked-in at 1:44:46 to finish in 16th spot.

“Kyle is now at a point where he feels like he can get into the top-10, and sees clearly the things he needs to do to get there,” said Kurt Innes, high-performance director, Triathlon Canada. “He continues to post strong results and is in position now to compete with the top guys. He just needs to continue building and getting long, race experience. This was another solid result for him.”

The world’s best triathletes continue to show the world the speed and excitement of the World Championship Series. With nearly 250,000 boisterous fans lining the streets of Hamburg, Germany, it was Javier Gomez who continued the golden year for Spanish athletes after surging to his first win in two years. Gomez, whose 12th-career victory ties him with Canada’s Simon Whitfield for the most major race wins, posted an impressive time of 1:43:07.

Olympic gold medallist, Jan Frodeno, thrilled his hometown German crowd with a silver-medal performance. Frodeno, who spent last week preparing for the race with Whitfield in his hometown, maintained pace with Gomez until the five-kilometre point of the run, but was unable to match strides with the gutsy Spaniard. Frodeno, who takes the overall lead in the World Championship Series standings, stopped the clock at 1:43:23.

Great Britain’s Tim Don won the battle for the bronze with a group of four athletes. Don, who won the prestigious Hy-Vee World Cup race in Des Moines, Idaho in June, finished at 1:43:57

The world’s best triathletes will have another shot at the podium in just six days with the fifth stage of the seven-race series set for London – home to the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, in one week.

Victoria’s Kirsten Sweetland will be the lone Canadian in the elite women’s field to hit the start line in Germany on Sunday.

Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic medal sport since 2000, Triathlon Canada’s mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us atwww.triathloncanada.com on the Internet.

Complete World Championship Series Results (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run): www.triathlon.org

Top-Five Men’s and Canadian Results;

1. Javier Gomez, ESP, 1:43:07; 2. Jan Frodeno, GER, 1:43:23; 3. Tim Don, GBR, 1:43:57; 4. Sven Riederer, SUI, 1:44:00; 5. Valadimir Turbayevskiy, RUS, 1:44:03.

Canadian Results:

12. Simon Whitfield, Victoria, 1:44:30; 16. Kyle Jones, Oakville, Ont., 1:44:46