Following Rebecca Dussault’s breakthrough individual title at the 14th ITU Winter Triathlon World Championship yesterday, the United States women’s squad of Dussault, Emma Garrand and Heather Best dominated the women’s World Championship team competition Sunday in Eidsvoll, Norway.

While home team Norway took the men’s team title by a fairly competitive 2:14 margin over runner-up Russia 1, the three US women overwhelmed the runner-up Norwegians by a 4:26 margin over a 2km run, 3 km mountain bike and 3km cross country ski course.

The US women dominated the field from start to finish as Emma Garrand, who suffered a flat tire that dropped her from the lead to 7th in the individual event the day before, broke into a big lead over Marthe Myhre of Norway. Garrand handed off to Heather Best, who widened the margin over Norway’s Hannah Tronnes, who finished third in the individual race Saturday. Handed a big lead, Dussault finished in 1:23:58 and increased the gap over Norway’s Tuva Toftdahl to 4 minutes 26 seconds at the line. Russia 1’s team of Anna Euseeva, Tatiana Charockchina (2nd on Saturday in the individual race) and Yulia Surikova (DQ’d on Saturday) took the bronze, 7 minutes 25 seconds back of the victorious American trio.

Dussault, of Gunnison, Colorado, was the first non-European woman to win the ITU Winter Triathlon World Championship in the 14 year history of the event. Dussault, a 2006 Olympian in cross country skiing, took bronze at the ITU Winter Triathlon individual World Championship last year and is the defending two-time national champion of the USA Triathlon Winter Triathlon.

In the men’s team event, Norway dominated from start to finish. Arne Post took the lead on the run segment and after the cross country ski segment had a 45 second lead over Russia 1 and Russia 2.

Norway’s second man Tor-Atle Fuglerrud scorched the run and bike legs and handed over a 1 minute 45 second lead to cleanup hitter Tor Halvord Bjornstad, the silver medalist in the individual race. The race was safe in Bjornstad’s hands as he finished first in 1:11:26, 2:14 in front of Russia 1’s three man squad of Maxim Kuzmin, Konstantin Lavrentyev and Pavel Andreev. Russia 2’s Dimitry Bregada, Eugeniy Bayquzov and Pavel Khanshin took third, five minutes back of the winning squad.

The US team of Jay Henry, Neal Henderson and Brian Smith finished 7th in 1:22:54.

14th ITU Winter Triathlon World Championship Team Events
Eidsvoll, Norway
February 14, 2010
R 2km/ MTB 3km/ XC Ski 3km

Results

Elite Men

1. Norway (Arne Post, Tor-Atle Fuglerrud, Tor Halvor Bjornstad) 1:11:26
2. Russia 1(Maxim Kuzmin, Konstantin Lavrentyev, Pavel Andreev) 1:13:40
3. Russia 2 (Dmitry Bregada, Eugeniy Bayguzov, Pavel Khanzhin) 1:16:26
4. Italy (Thomas Niederegger, Daniel Antonioli, Gabrielle Caretta) 1: 16:27
5. Russia 3 (Pavel Yakimov, Evgeniy Baygunzov, Pavel Khanzhin) 1:18:31
6. Austria (Markus Rothberger, Florian Moser, Sigi Bauer) 1:18:58
7. USA (Jay Henry, Neal Henderson, Brian Smith) 1:22:54


Elite Women

1. USA (Emma Garrand, Heather Best, Rebecca Dussault) 1:23:58
2. Norway (Marthe K. Myhre, Hanne Tronnes, Tuva Toftdahl) 1:28:24
3. Russia 1 (Anna Euseeva, Tatiana Charockina, Yulia Surikova) 1: 31:23
4. Austria ( Carina Wasle, Klaudia Mesterhofer, Romana Slavinec) 1:31:55
5. Russia 2 (Anna Euseeva, Tatiana Charockina, Yulia Surikova) 1:34:43