HONOLULU (AP) — Barb Lindquist and Hunter Kemper secured the first of three spots on the U.S. women’s and men’s triathlon teams Sunday at the Olympic trials. Lindquist, 34, of Jackson, Wyo., won the women’s triathlon trials, while Kemper, 27,
HONOLULU (AP) — Barb Lindquist and Hunter Kemper secured the first of three spots on the U.S. women’s and men’s triathlon teams Sunday at the Olympic trials.
Lindquist, 34, of Jackson, Wyo., won the women’s triathlon trials, while Kemper, 27, of Longwood, Fla., took second in the men’s behind 2000 gold medalist Simon Whitfield of Canada.
Lindquist, the world’s top-ranked triathlete, completed the 1,500-meter swim, 24.8-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run in 2 hours, 7 minutes, 21 seconds.
Australian Liz Blatchford finished 12 seconds behind.
Whitfield’s time was 1:55:52 and Kemper was five seconds behind.
Lindquist and Blatchford were followed by Susan Williams of Littleton, Colo., and Sheila Taormina, of Livonia, Mich.
Lindquist and Taormina fought for the lead at the beginning of the run before Lindquist made her move.
The day’s competition began with four Americans emerging first from the swim. Lindquist and Taormina were shoulder to shoulder as they charged onto the beach, a few strides ahead of Joanna Zeiger of Baltimore and Laura Reback of North Palm Beach, Fla.
The foursome had a 30-second lead starting the bike leg of the race.
Lindquist and Taormina broke away from the rest of the competitors and opened up a 30-second advantage over Williams and Blatchford. After the transition, Taormina battled Lindquist for the lead to start the foot race.
Lindquist threw her arms in the air and looked toward the sky after crossing the finish line.
Blatchford said the swim was choppy and the bike ride was brutal.
“I didn’t get them on the bike,” she said. “I almost got them on the run, but I didn’t quite have the legs I wanted. The bike course took a lot more out of me than I wanted.”
Conditions were warm, with winds of 15 to 20 miles an hour under clear skies.
The men swam in rougher water than the women, but had cooler temperatures.
Whitfield, ranked No. 18 in the world, and Kemper, ranked No. 1 in the United States and No. 10 in the world, gained the lead from Miles Stewart of Australia at the final turnaround with a mile remaining in the run.
Whitfield then outpaced Kemper down the stretch for the win. Stewart was third.
Greg Bennett of Australia, the world’s top ranked triathlete, faded at the end of the run and finished sixth.
Andy Potts of Princeton, N.J., emerged from the ocean first and sprinted to his bike, pursued closely by the remaining 22 men in the field.
Bennett, Stewart and fellow Australian Richie Cunningham emerged from the pack during the cycling and widened the gap to nearly a minute to begin the run.
They were followed by Potts, Joe Umphenour of Bellevue, Wash., and Kemper.
Americans were vying for the teams headed to the Aug. 13-29 Olympics in Athens and for points, while top international athletes competed for points and prize money. The race was open to the world’s top 125 ranked male and top 125 female triathletes.
Fourteen American women and 12 American men were entered in the event. The remaining two spots on the U.S. teams will be decided after May’s world championship in Portugal and June’s triathlon in Bellingham, Wash.
The race was the first Olympic qualifying event to be held in Hawai‘i. It began in the waters off Waikiki Beach, five bike loops around the Diamond Head volcanic crater and a run along Kalakaua Avenue, the main strip through Waikiki, which was lined with thousands of cheering spectators.
The course was picked for the trials over Cleveland, Clermont, Fla., and Tempe, Ariz., because its conditions best mirror those in Athens — calm waters, hills for cycling and a flat running course.
Hawai‘i also hosts the Hawai‘i Ironman Triathlon on the Big Island.
