AUSSIE TRIATHLETES DOMINATE LONDON SUPER SPRINT
TRIATHLON, July 1: Australian Olympic hopefuls Brendan Sexton and Erin Densham are the toast of London's Triathlon set today after claiming stirring victories in the inaugural 2011 GE Canary Wharf Triathlon Super Sprint.
The VIS pair dominated the unique heats and finals format which saw the field contest two "Super Sprint" courses over a 400m swim, 10km bike and 2km run - through the popular and packed East London district.
The first ever triathlon in the iconic business and shopping district of Canary Wharf attracted athletes from mainland Europe, Australia, the United States and South Africa as well as a strong contingent from the UK.
Each heat featured 25 athletes, the top eight automatically qualifying for the final, with the four fastest losers from the two heats combined also qualifying for a final field of 20 starters,
Sexton showed he had fully recovered from the virus which forced his withdrawal from the Kitzbuhel round of the ITU Dextro Energy Triathlon World Series a fortnight ago with a frantic night-time run to the finish in a helter-skelter final.
While Beijing Olympian Densham, fresh from her top 10 finish in Kitzbuhel, reveled in the Super Sprint format to score an impressive victory.
Sexton, the emerging men's star of Triathlon Australia and the winner of the Monterrey World Cup, held off strong opposition from British duo, Aaron Harris and Matt Gunby, winning in a time of 26 minutes and 11 seconds.
It came after an exciting sprint finish in front of huge city crowds, with Harris just over a second behind and holding off third placed Gunby
Of the frantic finish, Sexton said: "Aaron really (pushed) me tonight and there were parts when I wasn't sure I could hold on.
"I knew I had a good sprint in me so if I could hang onto him in that last quarter then I knew I'd give him a real go, it was great fun.
"I love a good battle when it comes down to the finish line like that; it makes it sweeter knowing you pushed all the way to the end."
Sexton eased through the first heat in pole position with a solid all-round performance and as the crowds gathered at Canary Wharf, Sexton carried his early form into the decider and put in a powerful sprint finish to claim the champion's trophy and make it an Australian double.
Densham eased her way to victory after beating off strong competition from British pair Hollie Avil and a spirited comeback from Jodie Stimpson.
A noted runner, Densham finished in a time of 28:40, 12 seconds ahead of Avil after a powerful finish on the run.
The 25-year-old Melbourne-based former Campbelltown swimmer said: "It's was a great race and a great course. The format is awesome - you never know what's going to happen, you've just got to go hard the whole time. I heard a lot of people cheering for me which always helps you lift your game."
Densham breezed through the first heat in pole position with a solid performance that set her up nicely for a shot at the title.
As the crowds gathered at Canary Wharf, the Aussie carried her early form into the grand final and put in a scintillating run to pull away from Avil, Lucy Hall and Abbie Thorrington to claim the champion's trophy.
Sexton and Densham will now set themselves for the next round of the ITU Dextro Energy Triathlon World Series round in Hamburg on July 16 and 17 before returning to London for the all-important automatic Olympic qualifying round on August 6 and 7.