Gomez and Jorgensen win Yokohama WTS

Javier Gomez outsprints Mario Mola and Gwen Jorgensen wins second consecutive Yokohama title

Three races, three wins. Spain’s Javier Gomez threw-down yet another stellar performance in Yokohama on Saturday, in a race that may have reset the world order in triathlon.

Meanwhile, Gwen Jorgensen (USA) returned to the top of the ITU World Triathlon Series podium in style by pulling out a dominating win ahead of two breakthrough medallists.

Previously in every WTS race Alistair Brownlee and Jonathan Brownlee had started together, at least one of them had finished in the medals. In Japan, they were pushed off the podium by Spain’s Mario Mola and South Africa’s Richard Murray.

However it was Gomez who yet again re-affirmed his place at the top of the WTS pecking order in 2014, as he pulled out his most impressive win yet this season.

In Auckland and Cape Town, Gomez dropped Jonny Brownlee with a few kilometres to go to assure his win but in Yokohama he didn’t capture the victory until the final metre.

With the Brownlees falling off the pace halfway through the run, Mola and Gomez dropped Murray with just over a kilometre to go, and entered the blue carpet together.

While Mola looked hesitantly over his shoulder twice at Gomez, he wasn’t caught off guard in the throw down. The pair sprinted side by side almost the length of the finishing chute, before Gomez lunged to the finishing tape when it counted. Gomez captured his third consecutive WTS win in 2014, and his first ever in Yokohama, in 1 hour 45 minutes and 31 seconds. His bid to become only the second man to win four ITU World Championships is on track.

“With Mario and Richard, they run pretty fast and I was just about to drop in the second or third lap and somehow I managed to get up. Then I got down to the final few hundred metres, I knew that Mario is pretty fast but I just gave it everything, the third sprint I’ve won in my life, so I’m pretty happy,’ Gomez said. “Third win of the year, I can’t believe it’s going so good.”

While neither Brownlee made the podium, it was a good day for the British team with four athletes in the top ten, including Aaron Harris and Adam Bowden. Alongside Mola and Gomez, Spain also had three with Fernando Alarza running into 7th place.

Javier Gomez’s undefeated start to the 2014 season sees him comfortably atop of the Threadneedle rankings, with Jonathan Brownlee sitting in second.

In the women’s race, a congested bike leg meant it all came down to the 10km run, and on paper it was Jorgensen’s to lose.

In the first two WTS races this season, in Auckland and Cape Town, Jorgensen laid down the fastest run splits of the day – by over a minute. But in both races she left T2 so far behind the leaders she was never going to catch a red-hot Jodie Stimpson (GBR).

Luck was not with Stimpson at Yokohama as she finished in ninth place after a fall on the way out of transition. Despite getting a cut on her foot which required 5 stitches she defiantly charged on to keep her place at the top of the rankings.

Leaving transition with the leaders then put the race squarely in Jorgensen’s hand and she didn’t disappoint, pulling out a 33:43 split in the run to finish in 1:59:38.

This is the second consecutive year that Jorgensen has won on the Yokohama course, and she was pleased to be able to go back to back.

“I just love Japan, I don’t know why, I think it’s because I love rice, but to win twice is awesome,” Jorgensen said. “Three years ago I think I came out here and had the 12th fastest run or something. It’s really hard to win two races on the same course in a row.”

Behind Jorgensen it was a breakthrough day for many athletes in the top ten, in particular medallist Ai Ueda (JPN) and Agnieszka Jerzyk (POL).

RESULTS:

Top 5 men

1. Javier Gomez (ESP), 1:45:31

2. Mario Mola (ESP), 1:45:31

3. Richard Murray (RSA), 1:46:00

4. Alistair Brownlee (GBR), 1:46:27

5. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR), 1:46:29

For full men’s results CLICK HERE

 

Top 5 women

1. Gwen Jorgensen (USA), 1:58:38

2. Ai Ueda (JPN), 1:59:14

3. Agnieszka Jerzyk (POL), 1:59:24

4. Yuka Sato (JPN), 1:59:43

5. Alice Betto (ITA), 1:59:58

For full women’s results CLICK HERE