St. Anthony's ITU World Cup Triathlon
Saturday, April 27, 2002
St. Petersburg, Florida
1.5k swim, 40k bike, 10k run - draft legal
Complete Results without splits: Women, Men (pdf files)

With a picture perfect start the elite women hit the water at noon under great racing conditions - slightly cloudy skies, a gentle breeze and an air temperature of 37° Celsius. The water in Tampa Bay was a balmy 28° Celsius so wetsuits were not allowed for the 1500 meter, 2-lap swim.

The US women's team quickly began to dominate through the first leg of the race with former US Olympic team swimmer (and Atlanta Games gold medallist) Sheila Taormina in the lead. Teammate and fellow swim specialist, Barb Lindquist, followed closely by Laura Reback (also from the US) were hot on her heels with Canada's Sharon Donnelly the lone non-US athlete in the lead group. Heading into transition one, Taormina and Lindquist held onto their lead followed by Reback and two more US athletes - Becky Gibbs and Joanna Zeiger. Team USA was not in the clear however as their lead amounted to only 10 seconds over the chase pack, including last years' winner, Carol Montgomery (CAN) and perennial favorite, Michellie Jones (AUS) - whose speedy transition quickly catapulted her to the front of the field.

Out on the technical 8-lap, 40km cycle section - a lead group of five quickly formed, made of Jones, Taormina, Lindquist, Reback and Zeiger. In pursuit was a chase pack of 16 riders, including many top contenders like Montgomery, Anja Dittmer from Germany and Brazilian teammates Mariana Ohata, Sandra Soldan and Carla Moreno. Midway through the bike, Susan Williams (USA) made a break from the chase pack in an attempt to bridge the gap to the leaders - whose lead had grown to 1 minute and 20 seconds by lap 4. However the chasers, pulled by Montgomery, quickly reeled her in and began the arduous effort of chipping away at the distance between them and the five out in front.

By the end of the 40km bike the leaders sped through transition with a lead of 2 minutes and 10 seconds on the chase pack. Jones was first onto the run, followed by Taormina, then Lindquist, Reback and Zeiger. On the 4-lap, 10km run leg, Jones used her running prowess to continue building on her lead. Lindquist and Taormina battled it out for second and third throughout the run while spectacular runs from Carla Moreno and Carol Montgomery quickly pulled them to within contention, despite starting out the run over 2 minutes down.

At the line it was Jones first in 2:01:56, with Taormina out-sprinting Lindquist for 2^nd. A flying Moreno finished fourth, Zeiger in 5^th, and Montgomery in 6th. Today's victory marks Jones' first World Cup crown in 2002. A third place finish for Barb Lindquist moves her into first place overall in the ITU World Rankings, ahead of fellow American Siri Lindley.

Taormina, who last competed at St. Anthony's in 1999, her first season as a pro/elite, and did not finish the race, was happy with her improved standing this year. (Someone said) All you have to do is finish and you'll do better than last time, she said. Lindquist was affected by the heat in the run, but felt better after some time in the medical tent. This was my fourth race in six weeks, she said. I was just trying to be steady.

With temperatures and humidity on the rise, the men's race got underway at 2:30 pm. There was very little movement during the first stage as the pack of 77 athletes stayed closely knit together throughout the 1500m swim. Richard Stannard (GBR) led into transition, followed closely by teammate Simon Lessing, American Joe Umphenour, Frenchman Frederic Belaubre, and Martin Krnavek from the Czech Republic.

Out on the bike leg, a huge pack formed, consisting of the early leaders and a large portion of the entire field. This pack of some 41 riders stretched out but remained together throughout the entire 40km cycle. Several top athletes took a turn in the lead but no one was able to break away from the ensuing pack. Andrew Johns (GBR) led the pack into transition two but it was Shane Reed (NZL), with a speedy transition, who led out onto the final 10km run leg.

During the run the heat and humidity began to take its toll on many competitors as the field began to spread out. Kiwi, Shane Reed seemed unaffected, however, as he held onto his hard fought lead. In the later part of the run, many early front-runners dropped off the pace, while Reed continued to surge ahead and others, better able to cope with the heat, worked their way to the front.

On the final lap, Sylvain Dodet (FRA) took advantage of a fading Reed and moved into the lead. Dodet crossed the line in 1:53:35 to claim the first ITU World Cup victory of his career. Reed held on for second place, while Australian Greg Bennett had a strong run for third place. Aussie teammates Ritchie Cunningham and Brad Kalhlefeldt sprinted to the line for 4th and 5^th place.

Problems with the technical bike course slowed down the U.S. men. Joe Umphenour, the top-ranked man in the United States, broke a bolt on the stem of his bike, and home-state favorite Hunter Kemper the second-place finisher last year, fell in a turn. Both men finished the race. Victor Plata, the third highest ranked US man, was the top American male at 17th. I was expecting a lot more from the U.S. men, Plata said. We probably had the worst luck on the bike of any country here.