Colin Jenkins, Paul Tichelaar and Kyle Jones after finishing 3rd at the World Team Championships in Cancun
Kyle Jones, Colin Jenkins and Paul Tichelaar won a bronze medal at the 2006 ITU Team Triathlon World Championships in Cancun on Wednesday. Canada’s three elite male triathletes finished third in a time of 58:40, 37 seconds behind second place Germany and well back of the first place Americans.
The Canadian Women’s team was looking good for the gold medal, World Junior Champion, Kirsten Sweetland, won the opening leg and Lauren Groves won her segment, however, these two outstanding efforts were all in vain as an absence of a third team member meant Canada would have to withdraw from the race. The Canadian female team tried for weeks to secure a third teammate but was unsuccessful. Italy would eventually win the race with the Americans second and Spain third.
Italy’s Daniela Chmet led the charge for Italy crashing through the opening 250 metre swim and heading onto the 2-lap, flat and fast bike course with America’s Sarah Groff and Kirsten Sweetland hot on her heels. However, it was Sweetland, who will compete in her first ever World Cup event this weekend, that built an early lead out on the one mile run course before handing off to her teammate Lauren Groves to start the second leg of the race.
Groves, world ranked number 5, quickly put more time between herself and her two competitors during her leg but it was all for not. After the second leg of the race the Canadian Women’s team was in the lead by more than 1500 metres.
The U.S.Men’s team never dropped below third spot in the “super-sprint” relay style championship. The race consisted of three legs, with each athlete completing a leg, made up of a 250 metre swim, 6.6 kilometre bike and 1,600 metre run in succession, before handing of to a teammate.
On the third leg of the race there was no doubt the Americans would win but there was a battle brewing for third. Edmonton’s Paul Tichelaar was able to power away from Spain’s former World Champion Ivan Rana on the bike putting a decisive 20 second gap between himself and the Spaniard.
“I knew I had my hands full with Ivan (Rana), said Tichelaar – Canada’s anchor. I knew I had to put a gap on him in the bike. I just put my head down and went.”
On the run Tichelaar continued to push the pace and despite taking a wrong turn only metres from the finish line, was able to cross the line with 14 seconds to spare and claim the final podium spot for Canada.
Triathlon Canada is the National Federation for the Sport of Triathlon and Duathlon in Canada.
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