Kiwi women outside top ten in Hamburg

New Zealand's Sam Warriner and Debbie Tanner finished just outside the top ten at the BG Hamburg Triathlon World Championships in Germany this morning, Warriner achieving a career best 11 th at a World Championship while Tanner likewise set a career best by finishing 12th.

Ultimately it was the swim leg that cost the Kiwis any chance of a podium finish, with both over a minute behind the lead group out of the water, time they could not make up on the bike.

It was a distressed Warriner who rued a decision on the swim leg to take the left hand side of the course.

"I'm pretty disappointed right now and really it came down to one decision very early in my day. I chose the wrong side on the swim and found myself getting pushed into a buoy, eventually I was forced under and lost a lot of time.

"From that moment I was playing catch up, and worked really hard on the bike while at the same time concentrated on good position on the road to avoid a couple of crashes.

"I eventually found my rhythm on the run and by the second lap was running strongly but by then it was too late. Given the quality of the field and the pace of the race today 11 th is not embarrassing by any stretch but right now I can't help but feel really disappointed with the way things have played out. But I will get myself together and look forward now to a strong race in Beijing."

Tanner found herself in almost identical circumstances on the swim and at one point was actually inside the marker buoy.

"In the mad scramble for the first buoy I got pushed under as the field came together on the same piece of water at the same time. When I looked up I saw plastic and realized I was inside the buoy – which was quite scary for a moment. I got out as quickly as I could without panicking and while I had lost a lot of time I swam through plenty of athletes which in hindsight is a great thing for my confidence with Beijing a couple of weeks away.

"We then worked really hard and closed up on the bike but this is a hard course – especially for anyone chasing. Once on the run both Sam and I set about catching as many as we could but we were just too far back to get on the podium today."

Within moments of finishing, Tanner was already focusing on the Olympic selection race at the Beijing World Cup in two weeks time.

"Despite the disappointment and the whole marker buoy thing, there were good signs for most of the race today and I was proud to be out there wearing the silver fern. I'm already thinking about Beijing in a fortnight and doing well there."

The race was won as predicted by the current world number one Vanessa Fernandes (Portugal) from defending champion Emma Snowsill (Australia). In truth though Fernandes was in a class of her own and was never challenged the moment she strode to the lead early in the 10km run.

Kapiti Coast's Evelyn Williamson could not make an impression, finishing in 46 th place while Dunedin's Taryn McLeod was a further two spots back in her debut World Championship at elite level.

The elite men race in the early hours of Monday morning (NZT).

2007 Hamburg BG World Triathlon Championship

Elite Women Results – 1500m swim, 40km bike, 10km run

1
V. FERNANDES (POR)
01:53:27

2
E. SNOWSILL (AUS)
+ 0:01:04

3
L. BENNETT (USA)
+ 0:01:09

4
E. MOFFATT (AUS)
+ 0:01:26

5
R. LISK (GER)
+ 0:01:31

PLUS
NZers


11
S. WARRINER (Whangarei/NZL)
+ 0:02:06

12
D. TANNER (Auckland/NZL)
+ 0:02:26

46
E. WILLIAMSON (Kapiti Coast/NZL)
+ 0:06:51

48
T. MCLEOD (Dunedin/NZL)
+ 0:06:55






Elite Male

1.00am, Monday 3rd September

Athlete City ITU rank

Bevan Docherty Auckland 3

Kris Gemmell Palmerston Nth 4

Shane Reed New Plymouth 10

Clark Ellice New Plymouth 66

Terenzo Bozzone North Shore 73



For more information in Hamburg, contact:

PLEASE NOTE TIME DIFFERENCE, HAMBURG IS TEN HOURS BEHIND NZ