Gwen Jorgensen‘s absence left us little doubt that we were in for a different race in Cape Town. On top of that, several big names, such as Nicola Spirig, Helen Jenkins and Vicky Holland were making their much anticipated return to the WTS circuit. The element of surprise was sure to play a big part in how the race would unfold.
With only 48 women on the pontoon to start the race, a shortened swim circuit and the absence of two of the better swimmers in Lucie Hall and Carolina Routier, settling into the lead pack coming out of T1 was sure to be an easier task than in prior races. Zafares and True, respectively 2nd and 3rd in world rankings, were regarded as heavy favourites to win the race.
Zafares set the pace on the swim and ensured that only a dozen or so swimmers exited the water seperated by less than 20 seconds. Duffy (BER), coming out of T1 15 seconds off the lead, set a torrid pace on the bike. Jenkins (GBR), Zafares (USA) and Oliviera (BRA) were the only ones able to hang with the Brit. This small group was able to gain up to 30 seconds on the chase group after the first lap, but were never able to grow that lead in subsequent laps.
Spirig was the main player responsible for the merging of the 3rd and 2nd chase groups which eventually caught up with the leaders. With 30 km to go, only 18 riders were excluded from the lead group, including Sanders (RSA) and the 3 Belgian athletes.
The pace was on and off in the lead group as Duffy and Spirig repeatedly attacked in an attempt to shake up the race and tire out the weaker riders.
Those who thought Spirig may not be able to make her mark on the run will have been surprised to find her first off the bike and setting the pace early out of T2. However, the lead group of runners was still rather large, counting no less than 2o athletes. The was this tightly packed race would play out on the run was reminiscent of the pre Jorgensen years.
Pre race favourites Denshaw (AUS), True (USA) and current Junior World Champion Laura Lidemman (GER) were dropped midway through the run.
The expected players in a final sprint were none other than Haug (GER), Spirig (CHE) or even Pallan (GER), but it was Vicky Holland who surprised by attacking with a little more than 1km to go. The others had no response and the Brit won in her first WTS event after having spent a large part of the off season hampered by injury. She later admitted that she did not believe in her chances of winning in Cape Town.
Zafares (USA) took the 2nd position, just ahead of Spirig who completed the podium. The American leaves South Africa in the no. 1 world ranking. As for Spirig, she admits to being surprised by her performance, especially on the bike. The most impressive is that she was capable of such a performance less than a week after clocking in a 2:46 marathon. She even admitted in her post race comments that this race was a scheduled part of her vacation, and that being a mother, we shouldn’t expect to see her often on the WTS stage. Not bad for a mom on vacation!
The current U23 World Champion Sophia Sallers of Germany finished in 4th while Haug and Robisch, also of Germany, squeezed in the top 8.
Results are often dictated by circumstances and there is no doubt that shortening the swim to 750m had a great impact on this race. We would have to go pretty far back to find a WTS race where no women was able to break the 34 min mark on the run. At 11.4 degrees celsius, perhaps the swim should have been cancelled (under ITU rules, water temperatures of sub 13 degrees celsius could warrant a cancellation of the swim). Taking this decision, however, would have had too great an influence on the Olympic Games selection points system. The debate of water temperatures is a complicated one, and we’ll leave it for an other day.
| Pos | First Name | Last Name | Country | Time | Swim | T1 | Bike | T2 | Run | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicky | Holland | GBR |  |
01:49:51 | 00:09:34 | 00:00:47 | 01:04:49 | 00:00:24 | 00:34:20 |
| 2 | Katie | Zaferes | USA |  |
01:49:52 | 00:09:05 | 00:00:48 | 01:05:20 | 00:00:24 | 00:34:16 |
| 3 | Nicola | Spirig | SUI |  |
01:49:56 | 00:09:50 | 00:00:49 | 01:04:28 | 00:00:23 | 00:34:28 |
| 4 | Sophia | Saller | GER |  |
01:50:07 | 00:09:40 | 00:00:49 | 01:04:46 | 00:00:27 | 00:34:27 |
| 5 | Rebecca | Robisch | GER | |
01:50:09 | 00:09:47 | 00:00:46 | 01:04:35 | 00:00:25 | 00:34:38 |
| 6 | Kirsten | Kasper | USA | |
01:50:10 | 00:09:26 | 00:00:50 | 01:04:54 | 00:00:25 | 00:34:36 |
| 7 | Helen | Jenkins | GBR | |
01:50:16 | 00:09:13 | 00:00:48 | 01:05:08 | 00:00:27 | 00:34:41 |
| 8 | Anne | Haug | GER | |
01:50:21 | 00:09:48 | 00:00:50 | 01:04:30 | 00:00:24 | 00:34:50 |
| 9 | Chelsea | Burns | USA | |
01:50:24 | 00:09:40 | 00:00:54 | 01:04:41 | 00:00:26 | 00:34:45 |
| 10 | Emma | Pallant | GBR | |
01:50:34 | 00:09:49 | 00:00:48 | 01:04:37 | 00:00:26 | 00:34:56 |
| 11 | Claudia | Rivas | MEX |  |
01:50:47 | 00:09:15 | 00:00:48 | 01:05:11 | 00:00:25 | 00:35:10 |
| 12 | Ainhoa | Murua | ESP |  |
01:50:50 | 00:09:27 | 00:00:54 | 01:04:50 | 00:00:24 | 00:35:17 |
| 13 | Sarah | True | USA | |
01:50:52 | 00:09:20 | 00:00:44 | 01:05:07 | 00:00:32 | 00:35:12 |
| 14 | Rachel | Klamer | NED |  |
01:50:56 | 00:09:16 | 00:01:03 | 01:04:51 | 00:00:28 | 00:35:19 |
| 15 | Margit | Vanek | HUN |  |
01:51:00 | 00:09:20 | 00:00:54 | 01:05:00 | 00:00:29 | 00:35:19 |
| 16 | Vendula | Frintova | CZE |  |
01:51:05 | 00:09:22 | 00:00:45 | 01:05:01 | 00:00:22 | 00:35:37 |
| 17 | Laura | Lindemann | GER | |
01:51:08 | 00:09:19 | 00:00:48 | 01:05:03 | 00:00:25 | 00:35:36 |
| 18 | Lindsey | Jerdonek | USA | |
01:51:20 | 00:09:36 | 00:00:50 | 01:04:50 | 00:00:23 | 00:35:44 |
| 19 | Mariya | Shorets | RUS |  |
01:51:24 | 00:09:50 | 00:00:46 | 01:04:37 | 00:00:26 | 00:35:47 |
| 20 | Pamella | Oliveira | BRA |  |
01:51:32 | 00:09:08 | 00:00:47 | 01:05:17 | 00:00:29 | 00:35:54 |
| 21 | Erin | Densham | AUS |  |
01:51:49 | 00:09:17 | 00:01:18 | 01:04:36 | 00:00:25 | 00:36:16 |
| 22 | Sara | Vilic | AUT |  |
01:52:18 | 00:09:25 | 00:00:54 | 01:04:52 | 00:00:24 | 00:36:47 |
| 23 | Erin | Jones | USA | |
01:52:26 | 00:09:25 | 00:00:52 | 01:04:57 | 00:00:25 | 00:36:48 |
| 24 | Rebecca | Spence | NZL |  |
01:52:47 | 00:09:28 | 00:00:45 | 01:05:01 | 00:00:23 | 00:37:12 |
| 25 | Mari | Rabie | RSA |  |
01:52:57 | 00:09:17 | 00:00:45 | 01:05:09 | 00:00:22 | 00:37:26 |
| 26 | Juri | Ide | JPN |  |
01:53:06 | 00:09:22 | 00:00:50 | 01:05:01 | 00:00:27 | 00:37:29 |
| 27 | Flora | Duffy | BER |  |
01:53:34 | 00:09:20 | 00:00:46 | 01:05:06 | 00:00:27 | 00:37:57 |
| 28 | Charlotte | Bonin | ITA |  |
01:53:44 | 00:09:33 | 00:00:49 | 01:04:51 | 00:00:24 | 00:38:10 |
| 29 | Yuliya | Yelistratova | UKR |  |
01:54:27 | 00:09:43 | 00:00:46 | 01:07:16 | 00:00:26 | 00:36:19 |
| 30 | Miriam | Casillas García | ESP | |
01:54:55 | 00:09:56 | 00:00:47 | 01:07:03 | 00:00:27 | 00:36:45 |
| 31 | Michelle | Flipo | ITU |  |
01:55:19 | 00:09:40 | 00:01:00 | 01:07:05 | 00:00:29 | 00:37:07 |
| 32 | Petra | Kurikova | CZE | |
01:55:36 | 00:09:57 | 00:00:48 | 01:07:01 | 00:00:23 | 00:37:28 |
| 33 | Mariko | Adachi | JPN | |
01:55:37 | 00:09:33 | 00:00:57 | 01:07:16 | 00:00:23 | 00:37:31 |
| 34 | Anastasia | Abrosimova | RUS | |
01:55:53 | 00:09:22 | 00:00:49 | 01:07:37 | 00:00:26 | 00:37:41 |
| 35 | Arina | Shulgina | RUS | |
01:55:55 | 00:10:06 | 00:00:48 | 01:09:55 | 00:00:26 | 00:34:41 |
| 36 | Anel | Radford | RSA | |
01:56:15 | 00:09:40 | 00:00:52 | 01:07:16 | 00:00:28 | 00:38:02 |
| 37 | Tamara | Gomez Garrido | ESP | |
01:56:44 | 00:09:57 | 00:00:56 | 01:09:57 | 00:00:30 | 00:35:27 |
| 38 | Sofie | Hooghe | BEL |  |
01:57:36 | 00:09:48 | 00:00:45 | 01:07:10 | 00:00:31 | 00:39:25 |
| 39 | Gillian | Sanders | RSA | |
01:57:52 | 00:09:45 | 00:00:49 | 01:09:58 | 00:00:32 | 00:36:50 |
| 40 | Katrien | Verstuyft | BEL | |
01:59:10 | 00:09:54 | 00:00:47 | 01:07:05 | 00:00:25 | 00:41:02 |
| 41 | Vicky | Van Der Merwe | RSA | |
01:59:29 | 00:09:52 | 00:01:01 | 01:09:54 | 00:00:26 | 00:38:18 |
| 42 | Zsófia | Kovács | HUN | |
01:59:49 | 00:09:57 | 00:00:57 | 01:09:57 | 00:00:25 | 00:38:35 |
| 43 | María | Ortega De Miguel | ESP | |
02:00:47 | 00:09:33 | 00:00:50 | 01:10:28 | 00:00:26 | 00:39:31 |
| DNF | Annamaria | Mazzetti | ITA | |
DNF | 00:09:56 | 00:00:49 | 01:10:04 | 00:00:25 | 00:00:00 |
| DNF | Carlyn | Fischer | RSA | |
DNF | 00:09:56 | 00:00:46 | 01:09:15 | 00:00:22 | 00:00:00 |
| DNF | Claire | Michel | BEL | |
DNF | 00:09:50 | 00:00:48 | 01:10:13 | 00:00:31 | 00:00:00 |
| DNF | Anna | Burova | RUS | |
DNF | 00:09:37 | 00:01:00 | 00:00:00 | 00:00:00 | 00:00:00 |
| DNF | Elena | Danilova | RUS | |
DNF | 00:10:12 | 00:00:52 | 00:00:00 | 00:00:00 | 00:00:00 |
Distances Swim 750 m (1 lap); Bike 40.2 km (connection plus 8 laps); Run 10 km (4 laps + 400 m on the stadium track) Swim distance was reduced from 1500 m to 750m, due to the water temperature. Water Temperature 11.9º C, air temperature 22.3 ºC. Wetsuit swim. TD Rick Fulton/ZIM RR Juliet Fahey/NZL Competition Jury: Rick Fulton/ZIM. Debbie Alexander/RSA, Jan Sterk/RSA Athlete number 32 Michel/FRA served a 15 seconds penalty during the run segment