MOFFATT FINISHES SEASON WITH SILVER IN YOKOHAMA

TRIATHLON, September 19: Two-time world champion and Olympic bronze medallist Emma Moffatt has finished the international season with an encouraging silver medal performance in the postponed round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU Triathlon World Championship Series in Yokohama today.

The ITU postponed the round, originally set down for May, following the devastating Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Moffatt worked hard on the bike after a solid swim before ensuring she had enough energy to last in the run in the hot (30 degrees plus), humid conditions that took its toll on the field.
 
Fellow Australian, Emma Jackson, fourth in the overall World Championship pointscore, decided in Beijing last weekend was a fast-finishing fifth, just in front of British world champion Helen Jenkins.
 
As hard as Moffatt tried she couldn’t match last week’s Beijing Grand Final winner, New Zealand’s Olympian Andrea Hewitt with another Kiwi, Kate Mcilroy rounding off an all-Commonwealth podium.
 
There was a nice ANZAC moment as the field fought to handle the heat when Hewitt and Moffatt shared a “cool down” moment with Hewitt’s water bottle in the middle of the 10km run.
 
Moffatt, who chalked up her only win of the season in the Hamburg round, admitted today’s silver medal was an encouraging reward for what has been an indifferent season.
 
“It has been an up and down year for me, with more downs than ups but nice to finish (on the podium) in what was I think the hottest race I’ve ever done,” said Moffatt.
 
“The plan was to take it easier in the first two laps of the run and to conserve what energy you had left for the final two laps.”

Jackson, at 20, was full of running as she, like the entire field had to come to grips with the heat of Yokohama, producing an eye-catching final sprint to edge out Jenkins and once again confirm her rating as a future Olympian.
 
Australia’s only other entrant today, WA’s Felicity Sheedy-Ryan, produced her best performance of the Series, finishing 14th despite incurring a 15 second penalty infringement, after giving a great sight through the bike and into the run.
 
Olympian Brad Kahlefeldt, who was forced out during last week’s Beijing Grand Final, is a late withdrawal from today’s race, suffering the continuing effects of a bacterial infection.
 
Australia will be represented by young gun Brendan Sexton and the experienced Chris McCormack.
 
Meanwhile Australia’s Nikki Butterfield (formerly Nikki Egyed) has won the Ironman 70.3 Syracuse in Central New York Region today, continuing her amazing comeback to triathlons after a decade of international triathlon and cycling competition.
 
Butterfield gave birth to a baby daughter last December.

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