Most recent updates are at the top. Beginning of the coverage is at the bottom.
• Make that two French women, Hocq and Isabelle Mouton, coming in one after the other. They're celebrating at the finish line. And then Gutierrez was right after, so she may have been 9th.
• A French woman is 6th. Hocq? Jennifer Gutierrez is 8th. Great showing for Australia and the U.S. as well, even though Americans were shut out for a medal.
• Sheila Taormina is across in 6th place. Americans Zeiger and Taormina are in the top six.
• Messmer gets 3rd, Zeiger 4th, Harrop 5th.
• She's done it! McMahon has dethroned the quintessential women's triathlon finishing sprinter! Jones is 2nd.
• It's 50-yards to the finish and McMahon has surged! She's pulling away!
• Jones and McMahon are in a dead sprint down the hill toward the finish!
• In the World Cup in Sydney earlier this year, on this same course, it was Jones, McMahon, and Messmer. It may be exactly that same again. Zeiger is in 4th, several steps behind Messmer. Harrop has fallen off. But Jones is tucked in behind McMahon with a mile and a bit to go. Can McMahon pull off the race of her life?
• Harrop has finally had it, and has fallen off after a gallant run. McMahon and Jones are pulling slightly ahead.
• Taormina is now almost a half-minute behind. The first five are stuck to each other like bubble gum.
• It now is almost certain that McMahon was part of the first group. No-way could she have made up that much distance in 3-miles. You can throw all the prognosticating out now. There are 5-women, and a 6th not far back, who all want to be on the podium, and in 18-minutes we'll know who they'll be.
• McMahon has bridged, and is now with the others. There's 5 in the group, and McMahon is a strong runner. She looks the best right now, of everyone in the group.
• It is an absolute madhouse at the race, as the women pass through the start-finish area. Taormina is hanging on, not far behind. She's just still hanging around, single-digit-seconds behind. Also, McMahon is close. Did she come from the second pack, or did we miss her in the first pack all along?
• 5k to go, and it's Messmer, Jones, Zeiger, Harrop, together, with McMahon and Taormina trailing. Messmer is looking awfully good.
• It's about a third of the way through the run, and Zeiger has caught the first three! Not only that, she's moved to the front and is pressing. Harrop is struggling, and is about 2-steps down. McMahon is about 50-meters back in 5th, and Taormina -- 4-years ago only a swimmer -- is bravely hanging on for 6th.
• It is Messmer with the other two, but Harrop has actually taken over the lead from Jones. Zeiger is in 4th, just a short distance back, and Gutierrez has fallen off the pace.
• The break was reeled in just before the transition. Jones is first out onto the run. She, Harrop, and a third are pulling away. We don't know who the third woman is, she's in a red uniform, it's either Brigitte McMahon of Switzerland, or perhaps Messmer. We haven't heard of McMahon being in that first group, though. The Americans had a poor transition, and will be a few steps behind to start the run.
• Williamson is also no slouch. She was 4th in the recent World Cup in Lausanne, with Smet one place back, and Messmer three back. At Euro Champs Messmer was second to Smet. The European women probably don't like my "giving" the medals to two Aussies and a Yank before the run even starts.
• Evelyn Williamson from New Zealand and Kathleen Smet from Belgium also made the group. It's about 16-strong. Gutierrez and Franzmann have established a small break, just a few seconds. That's not significant yet. But the existence of Smet in the group is. She's the recent winner of the European Championships, and this throws a small wrinkle in the podium predictions.
• A mechanical problem with her bike has forced a second Brit to either withdraw, or significantly slow. It is Michelle Dillon, who just made the team last week because of a late withdrawal.
• Also in the group Sylvia Pepels from the Netherlands. But the contenders are all in the front pack, and it seems that the podium -- on paper -- is Jones, Zeiger, and Harrop, or perhaps Harrop and Zeiger. But Harrop's coach -- Brett Sutton -- feels that Harrop is a better runner than Jones right now. This is her chance to prove it. One more lap to go on the bike.
• 17-miles into the bike ride, it's about a minute-and-a-half to the chase back, and double that to the "peleton."
• Reports are that Sian Brice, on of the UK girls, is one of those who went over Montgomery. Taormina and Gutierrez are taking a turn at the back of the bunch, saving up. Has the front pack gotten wind of Montgomery's ill turn of events?
• Carol Montgomery is down! She appeared to clip the wheel directly in front of her, and went down fairly hard. Two other women have fallen over the top of her. We don't know the severity. Kiomi Niwata from Japan, Nina Anasimova from Russia, and Christine Hocq from France are also in the group. At this point the best runners in the group appear to be Jones, Zeiger, Harrop, and perhaps Messmer.
• Nancy Kemp-Arendt, former member of parliament in Luxembourg, is also in the front group. She's a supreme swimmer, but was stuck out on the edge at the start of the swim. Taormina had hoped that Kempt-Arendt would be with her in the swim, so the two could work together on the ride. Start seedings put an end to that thought.
• It's the end of lap-2, and Joelle Franzman from Germany is also in the front group. She's a strong cyclist, and is pushing the pace, even occasionally taking a flyer of her. own
• Taormina has given up the chase before the bike segment is halfway over. She now must hope that she's got enough run in her legs to do the job for her. The pack also includes Magali Messmer from Switzerland, all three Americans, and all three Australians. The race is now Jones' to lose, but one ought not to overlook the fact that Harrop is good on two feet, and on the right day Zeiger can turn in a blistering run as well. We'll update you on others in this pack as we can identify them.
• Into the second lap, the lead is dwindling. But Taormina's only chance is to stay out front and hope the chase pack loses focus. But the chasers not only have to worry about reeling in Taormina, but keeping out in front of Montgomery, who'll surely run them down like a wolf after a pack of caribou if they don't maintain a healthy distance in front of her.
• Just finishing the first of 6-laps, Joanna Zeiger, Jennifer Gutierrez are with a 14-strong pack of girls, including the three Aussies. Taormina's swim lead may have been closer to 35-seconds, but she's keeping her lead. This pack includes some strong cyclists. Montgomery's pack includes a gaggle of women not necessarily known for either their prowess or eagerness on the bike. Furthermore, they know that Carol will outrun them. For that matter, the group further up knows the same thing about Jones. So, who'll be the sacrificial lambs for the sport's fastest runners, each in their own chase packs?
• Taormina 45-seconds ahead out of the water. Unbelievable swim. Hackett and Harrop both hoped to be able to hang on, but Taormina just swam too fast. The two Aussie "Hs" have been sucked up by the pack, including Michellie Jones. That's good for Jones and bad for the other two Aussie girls. Carol Montgomery is about another minute back of the main pack, and will have to ride hard.
• At the 1200M mark Taormina has widened her lead to 30sec.
• 5-minutes into the race: American Sheila Taormina has pulled a few meters in front of Nicole Hackett, with Loretta Harrop trailing. Women's main pack not far behind.
 |
 |
 |