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Tim Don fought off tough competition from Bejing bound New Zealander, Kris Gemmel, in today’s Corus Elite Series triathlon at GreenPark, Reading, before he heads out to the final Olympic qualifier World Cup race in Madrid next week.
The 750m swim was led out by Surrey’s Richard Stannard however his breakaway attempts were foiled when Tim Don pulled the chasing pack up to his him on the bike. European junior bronze medallist Jonathan Brownlee tried to surge away ahead of the second transition, however was unable to get clear.
Once on the 5km run Don and New Zealander Kris Gemmell hit the front with Stannard back in third. Having tussled throughout the race it was inevitable that the battle would come down to a sprint finish which Don narrowly won, just crossing the line ahead of his rival.
Don commented: “It was a really exciting race with plenty of attacking on the swim and the bike and the final head to head with Kris [Gemmell] was touch and go. The home supporters were great and I just tried to absorb all their energy for the sprint finish. I’m going to Madrid next week with the aim of making the Great Britain team and today’s race shows me I’m in the right sort of shape to do that.”
The women’s race saw victory for Scotland’s Kirsty McWilliam who finished second at the European Junior Championships last weekend in Lisbon.
The 18 year old headed the race from the off, forging ahead on the bike leg to establish an unassailable lead for the 5km run. London Triathlon winner Andrea Whitcombe ran through to second with Heather Jackson in third.
Corus Elite Series Reading Men’s Results:
1. Tim Don, England
2. Kris Gemmell, New Zealand
3. Richard Stannard, England
4. Todd Leckie, England
5. Jonathan Brownlee, England
Corus Elite Series Reading Women’s Results:
1 Kirsty McWilliam, Scotland
2 Andrea Whitcombe, England
3 Heather Jackson, England
4 Rosie Clarke, England
5 Vicky Holland, England
About British Triathlon
British Triathlon is the National Governing Body for triathlon, the UK’s fastest growing sport. At international level Great Britain boasts a strong squad of world ranked elite triathletes who regularly achieve international success and has some outstanding young talent emerging from its development programmes. Since becoming an Olympic sport in 2000, British Triathlon has seen annual increases in membership numbers of 10%. There are over 650 triathlon events conducted in Great Britain each year, including the Corus Elite Series which attracts athletes from all over the world and the renowned Mazda London Triathlon and. For more information visit BritishTriathlon.org.
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