The USA’s Jarrod Shoemaker used a blazing final sprint to come back from outside the top 20 on the final 5k run to win the elite men’s ITU Duathlon short course World Championship in a photo finish over France’s Damien Derobert.
Shoemaker, the 2005 Under 23 Triathlon World Champion, fired off a 13:52 final 5k -- 23 seconds faster than Derobert – to take the win by a chest lean at the tape in a time of 1:49:02.
Shoemaker, a 2008 Olympian who won a breakthrough first ITU World Championship Series race this summer in Hamburg, almost fell out of contention when a crash in the misty rain on lap five of the bike put him half a minute back of the lead pack. But Shoemaker worked with a strong chase group to pull into T2 in 20th place, just over 20 seconds back of the lead pack which included Derobert, Jurgen Dereere of Belgium and Sergio Silva of Portugal.
Shoemaker jetted after the leaders on the run, rising to 4th place after 2.5k. By the time he reached the home stretch on the tarmac of Lowe’s Motor Speedway where NASCAR racers routinely are flying along at 180 mph, Shoemaker had dispensed with Silva and had Derobert and Dereere in his sights.
Shoemaker surged into the lead, and then Derobert counter attacked. But with a final burst that put the lie to Shoemaker’s reputation that he did not have a finish line sprint, the Sudbury, Massachusetts flash nipped the Frenchman at the tape.
While crediting any duathlon or triathlon event, even world championships, with accurate measurement is a low percentage bet at best, Shoemaker’s 5,000-meter split would have won gold at the 1952 Olympics.
Elite Women
In the women’s elite race, Vendula Frintova of the Czech Republic outkicked Sandra Levenez of France by 4 seconds to win gold in 2:08:18. Marlo McGaver’s 16th place in 2:12:31 was the top U.S. woman, outlasting a come-from-behind rush by Uli Bromme, who made up all but three seconds of the four minutes she lost to a crash on the bike with her closing 17:47 5k run.
Juniors
Lukas Verzbicas of New Lenox Illinois used a strong kick in the final quarter mile to take gold by 10 seconds over Mario Mola of Spain, who won the ITU Triathlon Junior World Championship two weeks ago in Australia. Verzbicas was the first U.S. junior to take the world title since Steven Duplinsky won gold at the ITU Duathlon Junior World Championship at Corner Brook, Canada in 2006.
In the Junior women’s contest, Sophie Coleman (1:04:20) and Vicky Graves (1:04:32) finished 1-2 for Great Britain, with Kate Buss top American in 7th place.
ITU Duathlon World Championship
Concord, North Carolina
September 26, 2009
R 10k/ B40k/ R 5k
Elite Men
1. Jarrod Shoemaker (USA) 1:49:02
2. Damien Derobert (FRA) 1:49:02
3. Jurgen Dereere (BEL) 1:49:09
4. Sergio Silva (POR) 1:49:26
5. Victor Del Corral Morales () 1:49:28
6. Raphael Baugh (AUS) 1:49:33
7. Richard Hobby (GBR) 1:49:44
8. Alessandro Fabian (ITA) 1:49:50 *U23
9. Lino Barruncho (POR) 1:49:52
10. Morimichi Lihoshi (JPN) 1:49:53
17. Josh Merrick (USA) 1:50:10
18. Chris Foster (USA) 1:50:36
20. Derek Oskutis (USA) 1:50:42
21. Matt Russell (USA) 1:50:51
24. David Thompson (USA) 1:51:04
32. Justin Hurd (USA) 1:53:23
35. Paul Amey (GBR) 1:53:58
Elite Women
1. Vendula Frintova (CZE) 2:08:18
2. Sandra Levenez (FRA) 2:08:22
3. Ana Burgos (ESP) 2:08:30
4. Ruth Van Der Meijden (NED) 2:08:40
5. Anne Haug (GER) 2:08:48
6. Andrea Steyn (RSA) 2:08:55
7. Evgenia Sukhoruchenkova (RUS) 2:09:04 *U23
8. Alexandra Louison (FRA) 2:09:11
9. Inmaculada Pereiro (ESP) 2:09:15
10. Samantha Warriner (NZL) 2:09:26
16. Marlo McGaver (USA) 2:12:31
17. Uli Bromme (USA) 2:12:34
19. Anne Preisig (USA) 2:13:49
20. Kathryn Kasischske (USA) 2:14:34
21. Heidi Sama (USA) 2:15:12
22. Rachel Chambers (USA) 2:17:38
Junior Men
R 5k/ B 20k/ R 2.5k
1. Lukas Verzbicas (USA) 55:29
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 55:39
3. Carlos Chavez (MEX) 55:59
4. Vid Pucelj (SLO) 56:03
5. Nathan Coombes (NZL) 56:04
6. Nick Rennie (NZL) 56:42
7. Oscar Vicente (MEX) 57:37
8. Jorge Vichot (ESP) 57:45
9. Taylor Reid (CAN) 57:46
10. Martinez Cuhutemco (MEX) 57:56
12. Ryan Peterson (USA) 58:06
15. Anthony Phillips (USA) 58:36
16. Collier Kempton (USA) 58:56
17. Reeven Nathan (USA) 59:07
18. Jared Bonecutter (USA) 59:41
19. Alex Burton (USA) 1:01:01
Junior Women
R 5k/ B 20k/ R 2.5k
1. Sophie Coleman (GBR) 1:04:30
2. Vicky Graves (GBR) 1:04:42
3. Marjon Van Der Wansem (NED) 1:04:49
4. Adriana Barranza (MEX) 1:05:08
5. Jessica Berrones (MEX) 1:07:43
6. Andrea Barraza (MEX) 1:07:43
7. Kate Buss (USA) 1:09:53
8. Katie June (USA) 1:10:35
9. Katherine Shields (USA) 1:13:14
10. Emily Shields (USA) 1:14:44
