Groves Just Misses Podium at World Championships September 11, 2006 -- The dream season for Lauren Groves continued today in Lausanne, Switzerland, with a 4th place finish at the 2006 Elite World Triathlon Championships. Groves, from Vancouver, finished the grueling 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10km run course in 2:05:24 – just 11 seconds behind third place finisher Felicity Abram (AUS). This result today will push Groves to #3 in the world just behind Vanessa Fernandes (POR) and Joelle Franzmann (GER) – a great achievement considering Groves was 41st in last year’s World Championships and ranked 29th in the final 2005 World Cup Rankings. Simon Whitfield, who was hoping for his first ever podium at the World Championships, had to pull out of the race half-way through the bike due to a sore neck. The 2006 race season has been nothing short of amazing for Groves, 10 races into the schedule and Groves has finished no worse than 8th in every event. Still searching for her first podium in a World Cup or World Championship, Groves has been incredibly consistent in the big events this year. Groves was still in disbelief in her hotel room after the race. “I really thought it was as close to a perfect race as I could’ve had. The top 2 women (Snowsill and Fernandes) are in a different league right now – so third place was the best I could have finished given my current ability. It hasn’t sunk in yet – this wasn’t a World Cup race, it was the World Championships. Wow! – I am so happy.” Groves is on such high right now and is planning on competing in the 4 remaining World Cup races in Hamburg, Beijing, Cancun and New Pymouth. Groves is only 6 points behind Franzmann for second in the World Cup Rankings. “It really gives me incentive to finish the World Cup season and try to remain in the top-3 in the World Cup Rankings.” Groves, who trains in Boulder, Colorado, with Coach and former World Triathlon Champion (2001) Siri Lindley, has been one of the best in the world on the World Cup Circuit – she was 5th in Japan, 6th in Mexico, 4th in South Africa, 7th in both Edmonton and Corner Brook. Groves also has 2 wins in Continental Cup races in 2006, including her first National Championship in early July in Brampton, Ontario. Lindley was thrilled with Lauren’s performance today. “It’s absolutely awesome to see Lauren accomplish so much in such a short period of time. This result proves she is one of the best in the world and it’s just a matter of time before she earns a podium in a major race.” Lauren’s 4th place is the best result for a Canadian elite racer since Carol Montgomery finished 2nd in Perth, Australia, in the 2000 World Triathlon Championships. Triathlon Canada’s High Performance Director, Tom Patrick, was pleased with Lauren’s result. “Lauren has had a fantastic year. Her 4th place finish in Lausanne was well deserved as she was a very consistent performer throughout the race season. She demonstrated a tremendous ability to deliver an optimal effort when it matters the most and was clearly the class of the Canadian team on the day.” It wasn’t just Lauren Groves who had a memorable day, Australian Emma Snowsill made triathlon history by becoming the first woman to win three world championship titles (2003, 2005 & 2006). In a blistering time of 2:04:02 on a very tough course, Snowsill managed to triumph over her closest rival Vanessa Fernandes from Portugal by a staggering 46 seconds. It’s the first time these two legends have faced each other face-to-face since last year’s World Championships in Gamagori, Japan when Snowsill out ran Fernandez by almost 2 minutes to win her second World Championship. "I'm pretty excited. I really didn't think today would be my day,” stated an ecstatic Snowsill. “I've been feeling really out of sorts this past week and I have not been myself. I had no expectations for today. I am honestly shocked that I came away with the win today.” I really thought it would be Vanessa’s race.” Snowsill trailed the lead group including Fernandes after the first lap of the swim by almost 20 seconds, leaving the thought that the battle between these two super-stars would not come to fruition. However, Snowsill did manage to pull herself back to the front of the group on the second swim lap and it was in a large group out on the 7-lap bike course. This large group stayed together for the entire 40 kilometre bike increasing their lead to almost 3 minutes heading out on the run. Fernandes went quickly off the front during the first kilometre of the run in hopes to break Snowsill and the rest of the pack. The strategy partially worked as many women were dropped immediately including Snowsill. Snowsill, however, quickly found her form and managed to catch Fernandes before the end of the first lap. These two dynamic runners were together for only a few moments until Snowsill notched it up a gear and Fernandes was unable to respond. Many people questioned whether Snowsill was in good enough shape to win a third world championships title but she proved all doubters wrong on this beautiful, sunny afternoon. It was Snowsill all the way as she even had time to thank some of the 60,000 spectators that lined the course and finish line as she cruised through the finish tape. "I ran like I had nothing to lose. I just had to go out and leave nothing behind,” stated Snowsill on her history-making performance. Kathy Tremblay, from Montreal, was the next best Canadian as she finished 25th in 2:08:29. Edmonton’s Carolyn Murray was 33rd in 2:10:30 and Samantha McGlone, from Otterburn Park, Quebec, was 39th in 2:11:43. On the Men’s side, British athlete Tim Don has broken through for his first senior ITU world title on the same course he won his junior world crown on in 1998. A world junior champion, world duathlon champion, world aquathlon champion and now world triathlon champion. Paul Tichelaar, from Edmonton, competing in his first elite World Championships finished in 23rd spot, crossing the finish line in 1:54:46. Don, who has competed in only 1 World Cup race this season and came into the event ranked 57th in the World Cup Rankings, shocked the triathlon world and beat one of the hottest fields in the eighteen year history of the world championships. Don unleashed the fastest run of the day to beat Athens Olympic gold medallist Hamish Carter from New Zealand for the win. Frenchman Frederic Belaubre won the bronze medal. “World Champion. Can you believe it!” exclaimed Don. “I have a good formula for success and that is consistent training. This race was won in training rather than out there today.” Don set up his victory when he broke away with a group of nine other athletes, the majority who were European. The ten men worked well together to open up a significant gap on the rest of the field going into the final 10 kilometre run. “There was a break on the bike and I didn’t go with it,” said Don. “So I jumped across on my own and sat in for a couple of kilometres and then said ‘Come on boys, this is it, this is how you get on the podium.’” Once on the scenic run course through the beautiful Swiss town of Lausanne, Don came into his own. The Englishman managed to shrug off most of his rivals early in the run before a powerful surge late in the race gave him his winning gap on Carter. “On the third lap I felt good so I came through and thought I should take my turn,” explained Don. “I could see there was a meter gap so I just eased away and then the gap grew. You take five meters on an Olympic Champion and he doesn’t give it up easily so I had to put my head down for the last five kilometres.” There were 7 Canadians competing in the U-23 division today. Jessica Kirkwood (Victoria) finished in 19th in 2:15:13. Alicia Kaye, from Pickering, Ontario was 20th in 2:16:22. Colin Jenkins (Hamilton) was the top Canadian finishing in 17th (2:00:57). Jordan Bryden, from Calgary, finished in 30th in 2:02:26. Kyle Jones, from Oakville, Ontario was 32nd in 2:02:58. St. Catherine, Ontario’s Andre Paul Baillargeon-Smith was 44th in 2:06:33 and Caledon, Ontario’s Sean Bechtel did not finish the race. Performing his trademark acrobats at the finish line, Will Clarke from Great Britain rolled across the finish line in first place to make it a British sweep for the men’s world championship gold medals. Motivated by team mates Tim Don, Alistair Brownlee and Richard Stannard winning the Elite, junior and aquathlon titles, Clarke comfortably won the U-23 men’s title in a time of 1:57:30. Erin Densham, from Australia, won the Women’s U-23 title in 2:08:19. In a day of major upsets, Athens Olympic silver medallist Bevan Docherty from New Zealand and Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medallist Simon Whitfield were both high-profile retirements. Also joining them on the sideline was world cup leader and the number one ranked man in the world Brad Kahlefeldt, who suffered cramps in the bike leg which forced him to withdraw on the run. Don’s 2006 World Championships win also deprived Australian Peter Robertson, who finished sixth with the second fastest run, from matching the great UK athlete Simon Lessing’s record of four world titles. Carter’s silver medal was a fitting close to an outstanding career as he announced his retirement from the sport stating, “I will not compete in another world championship.” “This is going to be my last World Championship but perhaps not my last race,” stated Carter. “There are just so many guys willing to do anything to get to the front and you’ve got to be so hungry and have so much drive and sometimes if you just can’t do that you’ve just got to step aside.” “The last two weeks I’ve struggled with motivation and getting myself up for this race. I was hoping that I wouldn’t go out on my last Worlds on a floppy race but I felt strong, continued Carter. “I am really pleased. The closure of this legendary career was marked with the beginning of another as young Belaubre captured his first world championship medal. Back to Articles Page

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