Canadian Triathletes Rock the Podium at PanAmerican Cup Race in Florida

March 10, 2014

SARASOTA, Fla.—Canada’s Andrew Yorke is on a roll heading into the start of the World Triathlon Series next month after winning his final tune-up race in Sarasota, Florida on Saturday.

Feeding off the confidence gained from a silver-medal finish one week ago in Clermont, Florida, the 25-year-old Canuck stomped the field with a solid 750-metre swim, 20-kilometre bike and 5-kilometre run to clock a winning time of 50 minutes, 57.5 seconds.

“I brought a lot of confidence with me into this race and I felt I could be better this week after knocking some rust off last week,” said Yorke. “I’m so excited to get the win here, and really excited for Auckland now.”

Taking advantage of a good start position, Yorke, of Caledon, Ont., had clear water through the swim where he exited the water in good position heading into the first transition. He punched it to the top of the pack on the bike where he pushed the pace with a group of eight who opened a solid lead on the chasers heading onto the run course.

“I got into a good rhythm right away on the run and took the lead early on,” added Yorke. “Ben Kanute was right now me and we opened a gap right away. I kept the pace honest but didn’t kill it. I had a lot left in the tank with one kilometre to go and really kicked hard. It was great to finally bring home the win.”

The American, Kanute, held on for second spot at 51:04.2. Leonardo Chacon, of Costa Rica, ran to the bronze medal with a time of 51:18.7

A group of rising Canadian women triathlon stars were charging for the podium in the women’s race. When the dust finally settled it was Amelie Kretz, of Blainville, Que., grabbing her first podium of the year. Kretz was solid from water to pavement, posting a silver-medal time of 57:38.6.

“I had a really smooth swim, and managed to catch the leaders on the bike. I got dropped at 12km and rode by myself for a bit before heading into second transition,” said Kretz, who realized during first loop of run she also had to serve a penalty  “I knew I had to increase the gap between myself and third position to serve the penalty so I went as hard as possible. Overall it was a good race. I felt a lot better than last week in Clermont.”

American, Sarah Haskins, won for the second straight week with a time of 57:03.1. Tamara Gorman, also of the United States, grabbed the women’s bronze with a time of 57:44.9. Canada’s Joanna Brown, of Carp, Ont., finished just off the podium in fourth at 57:52.8.

The future looks bright for Canada’s next generation of elite triathletes. Earlier in the day, Xavier Talavera-Grenier, of Vauldreuil-Dorion, Que., won the junior men’s race with a time of 53:57.9. Xavier shared the podium with fellow Canuck, Jeremy Briand of Sainte-Julie, Que., who celebrated the silver medal with a time of 54:008.

Emy Legault, of Ile Perrot, Que., was the top junior woman in eighth spot at 1:01:47.7. American, Stephanie Jenks, won the junior women’s race with a time of 59:57.1.

Canada had a solid group of 47 athletes in Florida. The mixed relays take place on Sunday. For a complete list of results, please visit  http://allsportsevents.com/Results/triathlon_results/SarasotaBradentonTriathlon2014.html#/results::1394316528565

The World Triathlon Series gets underway in Auckland, New Zealand, April 6-7, 2014.

Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic medal sport since 2000, Triathlon Canada’s mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com on the Internet.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan                               
Triathlon Canada                
T: 403.620.8731
E-mail: hpprchris@shaw.ca