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Kathy Tremblay won the Elite National Sprint Triathlon Championships Saturday afternoon in Drummondville, Quebec. Tremblay, with previous wins this year at the Bridgeport Pan American Cup and the Pan American Championships in Brasilia, will now get ready for the Triathlon World Championships in Lausanne on September 3rd.
Tremblay won the race easily in extreme heat conditions, beating Sarah-Anne Breault, of Manitoba, by almost 2 minutes after completing the 750 m swim, the 20 km bike and the 5 km run, in 1:01:11. Tremblay, from Montreal, who was taking part in her first event in Quebec in 2006, had the lead after the swim, but was almost caught by the pack in the bike portion. Thanks to a strong run in the final leg of the race, she was able to distance herself from her rivals. Tremblay also won the National Sprint Championships in 2004.
“The bike has always been my weakness. I would have liked to race alone but the girls really challenged me. I had to dig deep. They were trying to pass me so I needed to push really hard. That’s exactly want I needed before the World Championships”, said Tremblay. “This is great preparation for the biggest race of the season.”
Tremblay will be one of 4 Canadian females representing Canada at the World Championships with the hope of finishing among the Top 15. After that, she will participate in three World Cup events in Hamburg, Beijing and Cancun. Her racing season will end in November.
“After earning my first World Cup podium – a 3rd place in Mexico on May 7th – I really hope to be able to do it again. In China, I will have the opportunity to go over the 2008 Olympic course”, added the 24-year-old athlete who has a great chance of being selected for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Tremblay’s boyfriend, David James Taché, won the Men’s Elite Sprint National Championship – Tache, like Tremblay, last won the race in 2004.
Inspired by his girlfriend’s performance, Taché came from behind to win the men’s event for the second time. Third after the swim, the 29-year-old athlete gave it his all in the bike portion to lead the pack and then put more distance between him and the rest of the pack in the run, finishing the race in 56:59, 39 seconds ahead of last year’s winner, Mathieu Dubé. “I am pleased with my race but it was really tough. I wasn’t expecting it to be so hard. I was not at my best in the water and my legs were not strong enough to allow me to take a commanding lead in the bike portion. But I had a good transition and I gave it everything I had in the run. I was really tired and if the race had been longer, I think Mathieu Dubé would have beaten me”, explained Taché.
“I really enjoy this event”, added Taché from Saint-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec. “The organizing committee are real professionals and know how to welcome athletes. Furthermore, the volunteers and the spectators are wonderful.”
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