Nicola Spirig wins in Kitzbuehel

What a race! Congrats to Swiss star Nicola Spirig on a spectacular win in Kitzbuehel today! A great battle on the run with Lisa Norden coming back from injury to take silver and Andrea Hewitt grabs the bronze, and becomes the new series leader.

Swiss star Nicola Spirig showed off her brilliant finishing kick again as she powered to her second straight victory in the 2012 ITU World Triathlon Series today in Kitzbühel, Austria and continued her torrid winning streak after recording wins at the European Championships and Madrid.

“It was almost a perfect race for me,” said Spirig. “I had a really good swim, I was really happy with it. The bike was good, we were a small group and people were working so we had quite a comfortable lead in the end and after that I felt really comfortable on the run.”

In a ferocious running battle with five other women, Spirig edged out Sweden’s Lisa Norden who successfully returned from injury to take her place on the Kitzbühel podium once again.  Andrea Hewitt out-dueled Chile’sBarbara Riveros Diaz for the bronze, yet another podium for the Kiwi superstar.

Warm water greeted the women for the two-lap, non-wetsuit swim in the Schwarzsee lake.  France’s Jessica Harrison and Sarah Groff of the U.S. led the women out of the water and into T1.

Not far behind them were a host of top names such as Vicky Holland (GBR), Spirig, Norden, Melanie Annaheim (SUI) and four from New Zealand including Hewitt, Debbie Tanner (NZL), Nicky Samuels (NZL), andKate McIlroy (NZL).  Riveros and Anja Dittmer (GER) also managed to latch onto the back of the group coming out of T1.

After German Svenja Bazlen crashed early and Italy’s Alice Betto pulled out with bike issues, a lead group of 15 women settled in up front, which included powerful riders like Spirig, Norden, Harrison, Samuels and Groff.  The strength of the leaders was bad news for the chase groups who fell behind further and further.

The lead pack worked exceptionally well together and built a significant lead, which at one point swelled to over two minutes.  But the leaders let up slightly on the final lap and the chase pack managed to slice 40 seconds off the lead in the last lap alone.

Spirig and Hewitt were the first to hit the 10km run course as the leaders came into T2 to see their lead dwindle to 90 seconds.

Early in the run, six women emerged at the front and it was clear the podium would come from this dangerous group made up of Spirig, Hewitt, Norden, Riveros, Groff and Harrison.

For much of the run they ran together, with no one making any major surges. Groff was the first to be dropped just before they came into transition to hear the bell signifying the start of the final lap.

In that last lap, Harrison desperately tried to hang on as Riveros and Hewitt took turns at the front.

As they neared the final straight, Spirig and Norden surged to the front.  But Spirig reached the blue carpet first and dashed away to the finish, leaving Norden for silver while Hewitt and Riveros fought for bronze.

Spirig triumphantly raised the finish tape at 2 hours, 5 minutes and 37 seconds to record her second victory in Kitzbühel and fourth career WTS title.

“I had a good rhythm and I could run with a group of six and I knew I had a really fast sprint, so I wasn’t the one who had to make the pace, I could sit in and wait for the sprint and it worked so I’m really happy,” said Spirig.

Norden came across the line all smiles three seconds behind Spirig, a successful return from injury after not having raced since April in Sydney.

“I’ve been having quite a tough time in training and struggling to get back into fitness,” said Norden. “Heading out today it was all under control and I didn’t have to fight on the swim and the bike was easy and I went out on the first three laps on the run and I thought ‘jeez, what do we do-should we be running hard?’ and I was just waiting for someone to pick up the pace. When Nicola put down the hammer down, that didn’t help, but I’m super happy to hang on for that long.”

Hewitt was also back on the podium after beating Riveros to the finish line for bronze, three seconds behind Norden.  With the finish, Hewitt took over the lead in the overall ITU World Triathlon Series rankings, ahead of Spirg and Helen Jenkins who didn’t race in Kitzbühel or Madrid.

“It was a good swim and bike and then it all came down to the run which was pretty tactical. No one wanted to lead and there was a little bit of shuffling, the lead kept changing and the last kilometre was the toughest and Nicola went for it and I managed third today,” said Hewitt.  “I started coming to Kitzbuehel when it was an ITU race back in 2006 and I’ve enjoyed coming back ever since. I base myself in France so it’s pretty close and it’s amazing scenery here and it’s a good time of the year to come here and race.”

Riveros finished up in fourth, while another impressive performance by the veteran Harrison notched her another top-five result.

New Zealand had a fantastic day, finishing with three in the top-8.  Samuels came across in sixth while McIlroy in 8th, proving its Olympic team will be quite a force to contend with in London.

In other notable news, Holland pulled out of the race late in the bike.  After mechanical problems forced her from the lead group, she faded to the chase and then called it a day before making it to the run course.

Ashleigh Gentle and Gwen Jorgensen both clocked the fastest run splits of the day and ran from the chase pack to 10th and 11th place respectively.

1 Nicola Spirig SUI CH 02:05:37 00:19:40 00:00:49 01:09:52 00:00:20 00:34:57
2 Lisa Norden SWE SE 02:05:40 00:19:42 00:00:52 01:09:49 00:00:25 00:34:55
3 Andrea Hewitt NZL NZ 02:05:43 00:19:39 00:00:52 01:09:52 00:00:20 00:35:03
4 Barbara Riveros Diaz CHI CL 02:05:45 00:19:46 00:00:51 01:09:46 00:00:21 00:35:02
5 Jessica Harrison FRA FR 02:05:57 00:19:35 00:00:51 01:09:58 00:00:21 00:35:15
6 Nicky Samuels NZL NZ 02:06:07 00:19:41 00:00:51 01:09:52 00:00:23 00:35:22
7 Sarah Groff USA US 02:06:20 00:19:34 00:00:51 01:09:59 00:00:21 00:35:37
8 Kate McIlroy NZL NZ 02:06:23 00:19:44 00:00:50 01:09:48 00:00:22 00:35:41
9 Anja Dittmer GER DE 02:06:39 00:19:50 00:00:51 01:09:42 00:00:20 00:35:58
10 Ashleigh Gentle AUS AU 02:06:41 00:20:20 00:00:53 01:10:39 00:00:23 00:34:29
11 Gwen Jorgensen USA US 02:06:42 00:19:53 00:00:53 01:11:05 00:00:23 00:34:29
12 Felicity Sheedy-Ryan AUS AU 02:06:55 00:20:30 00:00:50 01:10:33 00:00:24 00:34:40
13 Alexandra Razarenova RUS RU 02:07:05 00:19:52 00:00:49 01:09:43 00:00:22 00:36:21
14 Aileen Morrison IRL IE 02:07:12 00:19:51 00:00:53 01:11:06 00:00:22 00:35:02
15 Anja Knapp GER DE 02:07:18 00:19:40 00:00:50 01:09:55 00:00:19 00:36:37
16 Mariya Shorets RUS RU 02:07:27 00:19:51 00:00:51 01:09:42 00:00:22 00:36:43
17 Debbie Tanner NZL NZ 02:07:32 00:19:38 00:00:53 01:09:51 00:00:21 00:36:50
18 Melanie Annaheim SUI CH 02:08:38 00:19:43 00:00:58 01:09:44 00:00:21 00:37:54
19 Lisa Perterer AUT AT 02:09:12 00:20:18 00:00:51 01:10:41 00:00:35 00:36:49
20 Elizabeth Bravo ECU EC 02:09:14 00:19:52 00:00:51 01:11:08 00:00:23 00:37:02
21 Anna Burova RUS RU 02:09:15 00:20:19 00:00:55 01:10:40 00:00:23 00:37:00
22 Yuka Sato JPN JP 02:09:35 00:19:51 00:00:53 01:11:09 00:00:23 00:37:21
23 Yuko Takahashi JPN JP 02:10:02 00:19:52 00:00:54 01:11:03 00:00:23 00:37:51
24 Kelly Whitley USA US 02:10:45 00:20:22 00:00:51 01:10:39 00:00:24 00:38:30
25 Zurine Rodriguez ESP ES 02:11:20 00:20:22 00:00:49 01:10:40 00:00:24 00:39:07
26 Vanessa Raw GBR GB 02:11:22 00:19:55 00:00:53 01:11:03 00:00:30 00:39:03
27 Simone Ackermann NZL NZ 02:11:42 00:19:53 00:00:51 01:11:09 00:00:25 00:39:26
28 Lydia Waldmüller AUT AT 02:11:52 00:20:20 00:00:52 01:10:37 00:00:22 00:39:43
29 Ai Ueda JPN JP 02:12:50 00:20:32 00:00:56 01:15:27 00:00:23 00:35:34
30 Eri Kawashima JPN JP 02:14:26 00:19:51 00:00:57 01:11:06 00:00:26 00:42:08
DNF Felicity Abram AUS AU 00:00:00 00:19:54 00:00:52 01:11:04 00:00:29 00:00:00
DNF Svenja Bazlen GER DE 00:00:00 00:19:50 00:00:50 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
DNF Alice Betto ITA IT 00:00:00 00:19:37 00:00:50 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
DNF Tereza Durdiakova ITU ITU 00:00:00 00:20:35 00:00:55 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
DNF Vicky Holland GBR GB 00:00:00 00:19:38 00:00:51 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
DNF Machiko Nakanishi JPN JP 00:00:00 00:20:34 00:00:53 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00
DNF Carole Peon FRA FR 00:00:00 00:20:13 00:00:53 01:10:45 00:00:00 00:00:00
DNF Jodie Stimpson GBR GB 00:00:00 00:19:44 00:00:49 01:09:51 00:00:22 00:00:00
DNF Yuliya Yelistratova UKR UA 00:00:00 00:22:24 00:00:51 00:00:00 00:00:00 00:00:00

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Ο κ. Γιάννης Ψαρέλης είναι από τα ιστορικά στελέχη του Τριάθλου στη χώρα μας έχοντας παρακολουθήσει και συμμετέχει έντονά στη διοικητική ανάπτυξη του αθλήματος. Χρόνια μέλος των εθνικών ομάδων ,εκπρόσωπος των αθλητών στην τεχνική επιτροπή του αθλήματος, υπεύθυνος χάραξης των διαδρομών αγώνων της Ομοσπονδίας μεταξύ των οποίων και της Ολυμπιακής διαδρομής του 2004 στη Βουλιαγμένη,έχει διατελέσει γενικός γραμματέας της Ομοσπονδίας Τριάθλου και εκπρόσωπος αυτής στην Ελληνική Ολυμπιακή Επιτροπή. Έχει πληθώρα προπονητικών πιστοποιήσεων στα αθλήματα αντοχής από εθνικές ομοσπονδίες και συνδέσμους προπονητών. Έχει παρακολουθήσει πλήθος εκπαιδευτικών σεμιναρίων της Διεθνούς Ομοσπονδίας Τριάθλου τόσο για Διοργανωτές Αγώνων όσο και κριτές. Επίσης έχει παρακολουθήσει πολυήμερα σεμινάρια για διοργανωτές αγώνων στη Λοζάνη κάτω από την εποπτεία της ΔΟΕ. Έχει σπουδάσει Χημεία στο Εθνικό και Καποδιστριακό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών. Έχει τους εξής πανεπιστημιακούς μεταπτυχιακούς τίτλους : Αθλητική Διοίκηση (Παν.Lyon1-Masters in Sport Organisations Management – πρόγραμμα αναγνωρισμένο από την Διεθνή Ολυμπιακή Επιτροπή), Αθλητική Διοίκηση (Παν. Leicester), Διοίκηση Επιχειρήσεων (Οικονομικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών- Executive MBA), Μάρκετινγκ & Επικοινωνία (Οικονομικό Πανεπιστήμιο Αθηνών -MSc in Marketing and communication with New Technologies). Προπονητής Τριάθλου Προπονητής Τριάθλου Ο κ.Γιάννης Ψαρέλης έχει διατελέσει Διοικητικός Υπεύθυνος καθώς και Υπεύθυνος Στρατηγικής & Ανάπτυξης στο Sports Excellence (πρόγραμμα που πραγματοποιείται υπό την επιστημονική επίβλεψη της Α’ Ορθοπαιδικής Κλινικής του ΕΚΠΑ, όντας εγκεκριμένο κέντρο από τον Διεθνή Σύνδεσμο Κέντρων Υψηλού Αθλητισμού) έχοντας την επιστημονική επίβλεψη μέχρι και 1800 επίλεκτων αθλητών και αθλητριών προεθνικών και εθνικών ομάδων έως 18 ετών καθώς και των μελών της Προ-Ολυμπαικής προετοιμασίας για τους ΟΑ του Τόκυο (με μνημόνιο συνεργασίας με την ΕΟΕ). Σε επίπεδο ακαδημαϊκό/ ερευνητικό με σημείο αναφοράς μεταπτυχιακές και διδακτορικές σπουδές ασχολείται κυρίως με την επίδραση των προϊόντων νεοπρενίου/ wetsuit στην κολύμβηση τριαθλητών καθώς και με την μεγιστοποίηση της απόδοσης των αθλητών στο mixed relay του Τριάθλου. Από το 1990 συμμετέχει ως εισηγητής σε πλήθος εκπαιδευτικά προγράμματα επιμόρφωσης προπονητών, καθηγητών Φυσικής Αγωγής, γονέων αλλά και αθλητών είτε αναπτύσσοντας τεχνικά θέματα που αφορούν το Τρίαθλο είτε θέματα που αφορούν την ηθική στον αθλητισμό και το αντι-ντόπινγκ. Αρθογραφεί σε πλήθος αθλητικών ιστοσελίδων και περιοδικών σε θέματα που αφορούν την προπονητική, τους κανονισμούς του Τριάθλου ή θέματα ηθικής/ κοινωνιολογίας του αθλητισμού. Ο ίδιος σε συνεργασία με αθλητικούς φορείς (Ομοσπονδίας, Σωματείων και Αθλητικών Οργανισμών των Δήμων) από το 1990 έως σήμερα έχει σχεδιάσει και διοργανώσει έχοντας την επίβλεψη πάνω από 50 αγώνων σε όλη την Ελλάδα (Αθήνα, Χανιά, Ρέθυμνο, Τρίπολη, Θεσσαλονίκη, Σέρρες, Πιερία κ.λπ.)