It was all about speed today for the elite competitors at today’s Clermont Draft Legal Challenge – they competed over a Super Sprint distance – 380 m swim/ 10 km bike/ 2.5 km run. Great Britain’s Daniel Dixon ran his way to the men’s win, while rising Dutch star Barbara de Koning took a close women’s race.
de Koning holds off Canadian contingent
Last year in Edmonton, de Koning was the youngest competitor in the U23 women’s world championship race and finished 11th. Later in the year she would also compete at the world junior championships, where she finished 13th. Today she proved that she has a bright future in the senior ranks, holding off Canadian veteran Dominika Jamnicky in a sprint to the finish, taking the win in 30:56 to Jamnicky’s 31:01. Early swim leader Kira Gupta-Baltazar, the defending NCAA champion, held on for third in 31:04, with another Canadian, Colette Reimer finishing fourth in 31:32.
You can see the complete results here.
Dixon runs to the win
After a big group came out of the water relatively close together, Dixon, who also competed at last year’s junior worlds (he came 26th), and American Andrew Shellenberger were able to open up some space on the bike, but once out on the run it was Dixon who was able to pull clear and take the win by over 20 seconds – he crossed the line in 27:11 to Schellenberger’s 27:32. American Luis Ortiz rounded out the podium in 28:02.
You can see the full results here.
