Hewitt Wins In Photo Finish At Madrid World Champs Race

Christchurch Triathlete Andrea Hewitt has completed a stunning victory at the Dextro Energy ITU Triathlon World Championship Series race in Madrid, winning after a 5 minute delay as officials pored over the photo finish before calling Hewitt home first, just centimetres ahead of Lisa Norden (Sweden).

In an incredible repeat of the first round of the World Series in Korea when Bevan Docherty defeated Brad Kahlefeldt in a similar sprint to win the men's race, the result once again went the way of the New Zealanders.

Hewitt was just delighted with her second World Cup victory of her career, especially after a disappointing 39th after crashing heavily in Korea.

"I just love Madrid, I can't believe it! It was so close and came down to the last centimetre, I am just so happy. I knew I had a good result, but to then hear I had won, it is amazing."

With two previous podium finishes on the Madrid course, it is a favoured race for the diminutive Kiwi with the big heart and fast finish.

"This course really suits me on all counts. The heat is good for me; the non-wetsuit swim suits me, the hills on the bike are great for my strength and it finishes with a flat run. This is just so good."

Hewitt summed up an amazing finish that saw a group of five begin to sprint 200m out and ended with Hewitt and Norden side by side in the photo.

"I started a little early then held back and after a few surges just went for the line in the final 15 metres. My main goal this year is to be highly ranked in the World Champs Series so I am just so stoked to get first."

Hewitt and Nicky Samuels (Wanaka) both emerged from the 1500m swim in touch with the leaders and quickly settled into a lead bunch of 14 triathletes on the tough 7 lap bike course.

This group worked well together on the undulating course in 33 degree heat to slowly but surely put time on the chasers, including New Zealand's top ranked triathlete Sam Warriner.

It proved a frustrating day for Warriner, the 2008 ITU World number one. A poor swim saw her exit the water 84 seconds down on the leaders, a gap that proved too much to bridge despite the Whangarei athlete doing her best to lead the chase group up to the leaders.

On the run it was Hewitt and Lisa Norden that set the early pace, briefly moving 50m clear of the chasers. But by the halfway mark a group of five had settled into their work with Jessica Harrison (France), Christiane Pilz (Germany) and Sarah Haskins (USA) vying for the lead and a share of the US$150,000 prize money on offer.

Samuels was feeling the effects of the tough bike and the hot conditions and slipped slowly back into the grip of the chasers, eventually finishing 14th. But while the focus was on the leaders, Warriner went about cutting into the 1 minute 38 second deficit at the end of the bike.

Quickly the live cameras tracked the Kiwi as she began to fly, moving past an incredible 7 competitors in posting the quickest run split of the day (35:03), eventually running out of real estate in finishing 7th just 48 seconds down on Hewitt.

But this was Andrea Hewitt's day as once again the World Champs Series delivered stunning racing and an edge of the seat finish, this time in the women's race.

And for the second time in two events it was the New Zealand national anthem that rang out at a podium presentation.

ITU Dextro Energy ITU World Champs Series

Madrid, Spain

Elite Women