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Catriona Morrison outdueled France’s Sandra Levenez on the final 2.5-kilometer run leg to earn a 17-second margin of victory and her second ITU Duathlon short course elite World Championship on a tough, hilly course in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Morrison, who came into this race undefeated for 2010 with wins at St. Croix 70.3 and Ironman Lanzarote, ran the opening 10k in a tight pack of eight within 4 seconds of Levenez’s 33:52 mark. Then she and Levenez made a 4-minute breakaway from the pack with identical 1:11:02 splits on the rugged 38.4-kilometer bike in Holyrood Park which featured a 302-foot climb on each of 7-laps.

Finally Morrison edged away from Levenez on the demanding run course that featured a 135-foot climb and won by 17 seconds. Levenez lost this same championship last year to the Czech Republic’s Vendula Frintova by a heartbreaking four seconds and thus took her second straight silver medal.

Morrison, the 33-year-old from nearby Broxburn, thus finally added a second ITu World Championship Duathlon gold after her win at Corner Brook in 2006, and her silver medals at the 2005 and 2008 ITU short course Duathlon Worlds. Morrison also earned two golds (2007 and 2008) and a silver (2006) at the ITU long course Duathlon Worlds and set a record for her Ironman-distance debut of 8:48 while finishing third at Challenge Roth in 2009.

Perhaps Morrison’s greatest performance was her win at Ironman Lanzarote this year where she lost 40 minutes with a broken bike chain but came to retake the lead just 3k from the finish and earn her first Ironman win.

Gwen Jorgensen was the USA’s top elite woman, taking 15th with a 2:16:26 finish.

In the Under 23 Elite women, Sophie Coleman of Great Britain took the title with a 2:15:02 finish which topped fellow Brit Lois Rosindale by 54 seconds.

Sofie Hooghe of Belgium won the Junior elite crown with a 1:12:44 finish on their half-distance course which gave her a 46-seconds margin of victory over Marjon Van der Wansem of the Netherlands.

ITU Duathlon Elite World Championship
Edinburgh, Scotland
September 5, 2010
R 10k / B 38.4k / R 2.5k

Senior Elite Women

1. Catriona Morrison (GBR) 2:02:48
2. Sandra Levenez (FRA) 2:03:05
3. Felicity Sheedy–Ryan (AUS) 2:06:14
4. Jenny Schulz (GER) 2:06:20
5. Ana Burgos (ESP) 2:06:43
6. Kate Ingram (GBR) 2:07:10
7. Andrea Steyn (RSA) 2:07:58
8. Ruth van der Meijden (NED) 2:08:37
9. Stefanie Bouma (NED) 2:10:53
10. Immaculada Pereiro (ESP) 2:10:59
13. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 2:16:26
16. Marisa Asplund (USA) 2:18:06
19. Heidi Sama (USA) 2:21:51
21. Anne Preisig (USA) 2:23:28
24. Rachel Sears Casanta (USA) 2:29:22

* This finishing list of Senior Elite Women finishers leaves out all Under 23 Women, who started in the same wave.

Under 23 Elite Women

1. Sophie Coleman (GBR) 2:15:02
2. Lois Rosindale (GBR) 2:15:56
3. Alice Capone (ITA) 2:20:41
4. Ami Haishima (JPN) 2:24:12
5. Romana Slavinec (AUT) 2:25:51
6. Jessica Cecilia Berrones (MEX) 2:37:52
7. Nelmare Loubser (RSA) 2:39:21

ITU Duathlon Elite Junior World Championship
Edinburgh, Scotland
September 5, 2010
R 5k/ B 21.2k/ R 2.5k

Junior Elite Women

1. Sofie Hooghe (BEL) 1:12:44
2. Marjon Van der Wansem (NED) 1:13:32
3. Liis-Grete Arro (EST) 1:16:15
4. Elinor Thorogood (GBR) 1:16:55
5. Cindy Schwulst (RSA) 1:21:50
6. Chantelle Gallowitz (RSA) 1:24:01
7. Danika Breet (RSA) 1:24:32
8. Laune Meyer (RSA) 1:26:32
9. Chrismi Marais (RSA) 1:27:43