Moffatt Wins World Championship Grand Final Bronze
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Triathlon Australia, September 14, 2013: LONDON. Emma Moffatt has added to Australia’s impressive medal tally at the ITU World Triathlon Championships, taking bronze in a dramatic Elite Women’s Grand Final in London and in doing so, securing an automatic berth for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The 29-year-old Gold Coaster had to overcome the demons that saw her crash out on the slippery Hyde Park surface, crushing her Olympic dream, in London 2012.
Moffatt managed to stay on the bike despite the same greasy surface that today claimed World Number One Gwen Jorgensen, ending her World Championship hopes, before Moffatt produced the kind of run that has made her one of the best triathletes in the world.
The two-time ITU World Champion went on to finish third behind history-making British star Non Stanford who became the first woman to add the overall Elite Women’s crown to her Under 23 World title.
After leading home the swim, Moffatt dropped back before surging to move into second behind Stanford in the closing stages of the run, only to be overtaken by training partner, Ireland’s Aileen Reid in the final surge to the line.
“Every time I came to “that’ corner on the bike I kept telling myself ‘stay up.. stay up… stay up’ and when I went past the corner for the last time I said ‘you can relax now,’ said a relieved and rejuvenated Moffatt, who switched training camps to join Australian Darren Smith’s international squad this year.
“I was happy to get on to the run that’s for sure, but I felt really good all day.
“We knew Commonwealth Games selection was on the line if you were the first Australian home and in the top eight and Emma (Jackson) was there for a long time (on the run) and I thought ‘I have to get rid of her if I want this spot’.
“Unfortunately you have to punish your team mates to get the position on the team but I’m sure she’ll be selected as well.
“I was on the sideline watching and cheering when triathlon was in the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 so, it will be nice to be a part of a team I’ve never been a part of before.
“I guess in Glasgow (the weather) is going to be a little like this (cold and rainy) but it is what it is and you never want to let that faze you.”
The move to the “D Squad” under Smith and alongside the likes of Great Britain’s Jodie Stimpson (2nd to Stanford in the World Championship and fourth today), Reid (2nd today) and Australian team mate Declan Wilson (3rd Under 23s) has been a positive experience for the two-time Olympian.
“I moved to Darren mid-way through the year and I’ve been learning a lot there, just finding what I need and it included six weeks (at high altitude) in Boulder Colorado and I really worked on a lot of different things and enjoyed that experience,” said Moffatt.
“I lost my footing a little bit mid season and my confidence so I went away and I knew what I had to work on and I had a good race two weeks ago (the Hy Vee in Iowa) and that gave me confidence coming in to today.
“I’ve (also) had a few regrets in some of my races and I don’t wont to repeat those things and going in knowing no matter what happens you can get back up and knowing if I do that I’ll be happy with how I go, maybe a bit of a different mind set also some good training behind me and some good race results.
“It’s about believing in yourself and backing yourself, having a plan and sticking to it.
“If you crash you get back up; if you get knocked in the swim you just keep going because at the end of the day you can’t really control what’s going on; who have to go with it.”
Jackson, who admitted she was playing it safe on the bike, finished a courageous sixth and Australia’s third starter, World Ranked No 7, Ashleigh Gentle, hung on bravely for a Top Ten finish, to cross the line in 9th.
In the end it was Moffatt who finished the eight-leg WTS Series as the highest placed Australian in 6th, Gentle 7th and Jackson 11th.
Moffatt’s bronze leaves the Australian Elite Triathlon Team with two gold and two bronze medals with gold to Charlotte McShane (Under 23 Women) and Bill Chaffey (Paratriathlon – ParaTri 1) and bronze to Declan Wilson (Under 23 Men) and Emma Moffatt (Elite Women).
Australia will field four men – Aaron Royle (NSW), Ryan Bailie (NSW), Cameron Good (NSW) and Dan Wilson (QLD) in Sunday’s Elite Men’s Grand Final.
Issued on behalf of Triathlon Australia…..
Ian Hanson| Media Manager Triathlon Australia
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