It was almost an exact repeat of the recent World Triathlon Cup Hong Kong: Diana Isakova has just won WTCS Abu Dhabi after a thrilling finale, sprinting to victory at the expense of Jeanne Lehair.
While the athletes already had a fresh adjustment to deal with – WTCS Abu Dhabi was originally scheduled to take place earlier this year, but was postponed to today due to unrest in the Middle East – the racing conditions were also tough. The swim leg was immediately marked by a massive current, though Vittoria Lopes handled it effortlessly. The Brazilian led a completely strung-out field and was also the first out of the water.
On the bike, another selection happened almost immediately. Lopes found herself in a leading group of nine women alongside Eve Whitaker, Diana Isakova, Ana Carballo Gómez, Laura Lindemann, Jeanne Lehair, Angelica Prestia, Sophie Evans, and Sara Guerrero Manso. Across the five equally windy bike laps, the women worked together seamlessly, seeing their lead over a chasing pack grow from around ten seconds to well over thirty seconds by T2.
With five kilometers of running remaining, the nine leaders held the best cards for the podium. Russia’s Isakova, who recently won the World Triathlon Cup Hong Kong, immediately seized the initiative, tracked most closely by Whitaker and Lehair. Both athletes tried to close the gap to Isakova in the opening kilometers, but the Russian consistently maintained a cushion of about four seconds.
Whitaker was the first to crack under the leader’s high pace, while halfway through the run, Lehair managed to bridge the gap. Still, the Luxembourgish world-class contender initially stayed tucked into Isakova’s slipstream – perhaps to conserve energy, or simply because the pace was relentless. A notable detail was that Lehair visibly motioned several times to the lead motorbike to move forward and keep more distance from the two frontrunners.
The final kilometer turned into a nail-biter as the two ran shoulder-to-shoulder and single file. Having lost to Isakova in the final sprint in Hong Kong, Lehair was determined to prevent a repeat of that scenario. Consequently, it was Lehair who launched the first surges, but Isakova matched her seemingly effortlessly and held firm. Better yet, even before hitting the blue carpet of the finishing chute, she pulled a few meters clear of Lehair to decide the race in her favor.
Isakova took the win in a time of 55:55, with Lehair finishing three seconds later in second. Following an excellent run, Gwen Jorgensen claimed third place, 28 seconds back.
