STOCKHOLM -- U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team member Sarah True led the way for the Americans on Saturday at ITU World Triathlon Stockholm, posting a sixth-place finish in her final pre-Olympic tune-up.
Sarah True led the way for the U.S. on Saturday in Stockholm. (Janos M Schmidt/ITU)
True finished the 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run course in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 6 seconds for sixth, her best result of the 2016 World Triathlon Series season. Bermuda's Flora Duffy earned her first career WTS victory after a solo effort on the bike, posting a time of 2:03:38. New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt was second in 2:03:58, and Helen Jenkins of Great Britain was third in 2:04:06.
Three U.S. women finished in the top 11, with True's Olympic teammate Katie Zaferes (Hampstead, Md.) finishing 10th in 2:05:34, and junior triathlete Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.) just behind her in 11th in 2:05:43 in her WTS debut.
Zaferes led the women out of the water with Duffy and True just seconds behind her. Duffy then made a break on the bike, riding nearly all of the 40 kilometers alone, while Zaferes, True and Juri Ide of Japan tried to keep distance from the chase group. Knibb exited the water about 40 seconds back and began the ride in the chase group, using her cycling skills to help pull the chase pack up to the group with Zaferes and True.
Once out on the run, Duffy maintained her separation from the field, while the rest of the field fought it out for the other two podium spots. True hung with Hewitt and Jenkins during the first 5 kilometers of the run, and while she dropped off their pace in the final two laps, she hung on to solidly finish sixth.
With just three races left in the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series, five U.S. women are ranked in the top 20 in the world. Gwen Jorgensen (St. Paul, Minn.) is the top American, ranked fourth with 2,340 points, followed by Zaferes in 10th, Kirsten Kasper (North Andover, Mass.) in 12th and True in 14th. Renée Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.), who finished 24th in Stockholm, is ranked 18th. View the complete rankings at WTS.Triathlon.org.
In the men's race, Eric Lagerstrom (Portland, Ore.) was the top American in 24th. Rudy von Berg (Boulder, Colo.) also made his WTS debut on Saturday, finishing 36th. Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain won his second WTS title of the season.
The ITU World Triathlon Series continues on July 16 in Hamburg, Germany, which is the final race before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games triathlon events on Aug. 18 and 20.
ITU World Triathlon Stockholm
1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run
Elite Women - Complete Results
1. Flora Duffy (BER), 2:03:38
2. Andrea Hewitt (NZL), 2:03:58
3. Helen Jenkins (GBR), 2:04:06
U.S. Finishers
6. Sarah True (Hanover, N.H.), 2:05:06
10. Katie Zaferes (Hampstead, Md.), 2:05:34
11. Taylor Knibb (Washington, D.C.), 2:05:43
24. Renée Tomlin (Ocean City, N.J.), 2:08:50
Elite Men - Complete Results
1. Alistair Brownlee (GBR), 1:50:33
2. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), 1:50:43
3. Pierre Le Corre (FRA), 1:51:30
U.S. Finishers
24. Eric Lagerstrom (Portland, Ore.), 1:55:14
36. Rudy von Berg (Boulder, Colo.), 1:57:09
| About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,300 races and connects with nearly 500,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the ITU and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).
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