<:: Welcome to Slowtwitch.com ::>

The Dextro Energy ITU World Championship Series races are always exciting. But mix in the fact that this was a test event for the 2012 Olympics in London and Olympic qualifying was on the line for a raft of contenders from around the world, the pressure and the electricity got a turbo boost of epic proportions. When Olympic qualifying is factored in, surprises reign. Gwen Jorgenson's 2nd place finish and Olympic qualification was the biggest shock. But so was the fact that long time US stars Sarah Haskins and Laura Bennett came out on the short end with disappointing races. They were topped by Jorgensen and the hard working Sarah Groff, who took U.S. slot number 2 with a 7th place finish and was beaming with quiet pride afterward. More surprises included the fact that the 1-2-3 finish a few weeks ago of the three Aussie Emmas at Hamburg would not be repeated, as Jackson (4th) Snowsill (5th) and Moffatt (15th) all had off days.

But no matter the final accounting of numbers that enumerate the winners, Olympic qualifying draws ultimate efforts, brave finishes, and those who were injured and unable to perform at accustomed levels without fail raced with integrity.

All photographs © Timothy Carlson