The weather in San Diego, was quite nice with temps hovering around 85, but cooler water temperatures made this second round WTS event wetsuit legal.
American Gwen Jorgenson had to overcame a 1:07 deficit after the bike with a race-fastest 33:10 run to overtake Australian two time ITU World Champion Emma Moffatt with 500 meters to go to win the San Diego round of the 2013 World Triathlon Series.
Jorgenson also won the USA Triathlon Elite Women's National Championship, with Sarah Groff 2nd and 2008 Olympian Julie Ertel taking bronze.
"This is my first WTS win," said Jorgenson after the race. "It is really exciting to do it on home soil and winning the national championship is really exciting."
Jorgenson finished in 1:59:59 with a 4-seconds margin of victory over fast-closing Non Stanford of Great Britain, who pipped Moffatt at the line for the runner-up slot. In a blistering duel, both women were timed in 2:00:03 but Stanford's fast closing, 2nd-fastest 33:20 run brought her to the line with a little more than a meter advantage over Moffatt, who started the run second to Sarah Groff but could only manage a 34:21 run split after taking part in a four-woman breakaway on the bike.
Stanford was excited to prevail over Moffatt in the finish line sprint. "When Gwen went by, I just couldn't go with her," said Stanford. "She has a fantastic turn of pace. But when Emma came back in sight, it just spurs you on a bit. I didn’t think I could quite get to her, but I just kept my head down and kept pushing. It's always nice to have a sprint finish. It makes it more exciting."
Moffatt said she was cramping the last kilometer, and thus was "very happy to bring home the bronze."
Anne Haug of Germany, who won the first round of the 2013 World Triathlon Series two weeks ago in Auckland, overcame a slow swim with a chase pack bike and a 3rd-fastest 33:26 run to grab 4th place and retain her lead in the WS points chase. Fourth place Olympian Sarah Groff of the U.S.A. led the swim with a 17:29 split in the Mission Bay waters and led a 4-woman breakaway that included Moffatt, Carolina Routier of Spain and Pamela Oliveira of Brazil) into T2 with a with an 8th-best 1:06:42 split but lost the lead after the first of three laps on the run. Groff went into a damage-control 35:46 run that left her 7th, 56 seconds behind 5th-place Jodie Stimpson of Great Britain and 5 seconds behind 6th-place Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand.
The win was a first in the prestigious World Triathlon Series for an American woman and also earned Jorgenson the USA Triathlon Elite National Championship. American male Jarrod Shoemaker won the Hamburg round of the ITU World Championship Series three years ago in Hamburg, Germany.
ITU WTS San Diego
San Diego, CA / April 19, 2013
1.5k swim / 40k bike / 10k run
Top women
1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA) 1:59:59
2. Non Stanford (GBR) + 0:04
3. Emma Moffatt (AUS) + 0:04
4. Anne Haug (GER) + 0:07
5. Jodie Stimpson (GBR) +0:32
6. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) +1:23
7. Sarah Groff (USA) +1:28
8. Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI) +1:42
9. Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) +1:47
10. Juri Ide (JAP) +1:57
