ITU Oceania U/23 Oceania Regional Championship Penrith, NSW Australia.
A strong New Zealand contingent ventured to the Sydney Olympic Rowing Regatta
venue for a Tri Tasman tilt at the Oceania Championship. Humid conditions, with
intermittent rain, greeted the 22 female racers for the deep water start in
the single 1.5k loop on the regatta course. The fast flat course in the Women’s
race allowed a lead group of 14 athletes to exit the swim with a clear 90 second
break on the next group of swimmers. Out on the bike the stronger cyclists including
Queenstown Gold medal duo Nikki Egyed (U23), and Felicity Abram (Jnr) AUS, along
with Emma Moffatt AUS, Erin Densham AUS, and New Zealand athletes Debbie Tanner,
and, Nicky Samuels worked to reduce the lead cycle group to ten. The pace on
the bike was strong, with several athletes trying to make a move off the front,
but it was still ten athletes, with an extended lead over the rest of the field,
who raced into the bike-run transition. Out on the first of two 5k laps on the
run Abram stamped her authority on the field with an early break, completing
the first lap well in control. On the final lap Abram extended her lead over
Egyed to finish well in command with a very swift 34.16 10k run split to finish
in 1:57:00 Egyed followed in 1:58:08, and Moffat third in 1:59:07, for an Australian
trifecta. Kiwi, Tanner took fourth in 1:59:29, and Erin Densham AUS in 1:59.47
in fifth.
1 Felicity Abrram AUS 1:57:00.0
2 Nikki Egyed AUS 1:58:08.8
3 Emma Moffatt AUS 1:59:07.9
4 Debbie Tanner NZL 1:59:29.9
5 Erin Densham AUS 1:59:47.2
6 Brittany Orr AUS 2:00:08.0
7 Nicky Samuels NZL 2:00:49.1
8 Jocelyn Keage AUS 2:03:53.2
9 Emily Rooke AUS 2:05:53.9
10 Stephanie Mcgrath AUS 2:05:59.5
The weather cooled for the 47 athletes starting the Men’s race. The swim strung
out the field with Australian trio of Stephen Hackett, James Seear AUS and Jonny
Rockliffe AUS leading out of the water by almost 30sec.
On the first of eight laps Stephen Hackett AUS established a 15sec lead in an
attempt to entice a few of the following pack of 10 to join him in a breakaway
group. On lap 2 Hackett dropped back to the main chase pack, which was 5sec
ahead of a second group of around 15 riders. Several mini breakaway attacks
were attempted including a break of 4 riders on lap 4 which was quickly covered,
and on lap 5 the two groups joined into a huge peleton of more than 22 riders.
On the second last lap 4 riders made a break on the back straight but were quickly caught by the peleton, which had opened a 2k lead over the chase pack. On the last lap Ben Logan (NZ) made a break up the back straight, to lead the the peleton by 5 sec into the bike to run transition. Brett Lee AUS emerged fastest out of transition, but was quickly joined by New Zealand athlete Clark Ellice followed by fellow New Zealand athlete Graham O’Grady NZL, Allan Moran AUS, and Peter Risely AUS. Early on lap two Ellice, O’Grady and Peter Risely AUS dropped Moran, as they positioned themselves for the final 4 k. Run specialist Ellice powered confidently to the lead to win with a 10k run split of 31:12 in a total time of 1:45:09. O’Grady took silver in 1:45:22, Risely bronze in 1:45:45. Moran posted 1:46:09, and early bike leader Hackett came home in 1:46:24.
1 Clark Ellice NZL 1:45:09.9
2 Graham O’Grady NZL 1:45:22.8
3 Peter Riseley AUS 1:45:45.5
4 Alan Moran AUS 1:46:09.2
5 Stephen Hackett AUS 1:46:24.7
6 Gareth Halverson AUS 1:46:31.6
7 Luke Hoetjes NZL 1:46:53.0
8 Matthew Murphy AUS 1:47:26.7
9 Dan Wilson AUS 1:47:56.5
10 Joel Gambles AUS 1:48:48.1