In terms of the format, Chase McQueen may have been the least experienced man on the USA team at the Groupe Copley World Triathlon Series Montreal Mixed Team Relay, but he delivered a consummate final leg to ensure that the USA left with the gold on Sunday afternoon. Taylor Spivey had bounced back from her huge effort over the previous two days' individual events to set the wheels of victory in motion, Seth Rider picking up the baton for an incredible sixth super-sprint race in 3 days and handing to Kirsten Kasper to tee up McQueen’s vital finish.
It had been a three-way tussle for the podium
places for the second half of the race, a young New Zealand side eventually holding off Team Italy to win silver after Ainsley Thorpe's superb effort and Saxon Morgan managing to out-pace Alessandro Fabian over the final 2km run.“It feels really good,” said a delighted McQueen. “The team set me up super well, I knew I couldn’t let them down. Luckily, I was in a group of two so I didn’t have to bike by myself and it was all I had until the finish line. I'm super happy to bring it home for the team.”
“These two did a great job to set me up with a good lead,” added Kasper. “I just tried to hold on for as long as I could. It was truly a team effort and I am just so proud of everyone.”
“I feel pretty good,” said Rider after his herculean effort over the three days in Montreal. “When you get on the start line and you’re racing for your team you don’t feel anything anymore, you just dive in and go for it and you give it everything you have. I got on the run knowing it was the last race of my weekend and just gave it everything I had to try and set it up for the team.”
“It definitely wasn’t easy after the three days of racing," concluded Spivey, "but I think a lot of us were in the same boat, so I gave it all for this team. I am so proud of how we raced and it’s a testament to how strong these athletes really are.”
Fittingly, it was a Canadian that was setting the early pace through the opening 300m swim, Kira Gupta-Baltazar carving through the water out front with Miyu Sakai also going well for Japan. Spivey was ten seconds back heading up into transition but was soon right on their wheels and driving the pace out front.
Emma Jackson had fallen off the back of the pack and wasn’t able to bring it back, while terrible luck with a chain issue on the first lap effectively ended Japan’s challenge, Sakai suddenly off the pace by over a minute as the first of the 2-lap, 6.6km bikes played out.
Out onto the run it was Nicole Van Der Kaay leading Spivey, the only two women in their fifth races of the weekend and seemingly feeling little effect from their efforts the previous day. Beatrice Mallozzi was right with them for Italy and tagged Gianluca Pozzatti who began his pursuit of Seth Rider (USA) and Dylan McCullough (NZL).
Behind them it was Radim Grebik 10 seconds off the front for Czech Republic, Adrien Briffod (SUI) 5 seconds behind him and Valentin Wernz looking to haul Germany back into contention from a 25-second deficit.
Onto the bike, Rider still had enough in the tank to try and drive on Pozzatti and McCullough, ensuring the chasers couldn’t close in. Switzerland and Germany dropped back to 25 seconds off the front and out of transition onto the run it was again Rider setting the pace, pulling away for the handover to Kasper.
The third leg saw Alice Betto and Ainsley Thorpe chasing for Italy and New Zealand respectively, Lisa Berger (SUI), Nina Eim (GER) and Alzbeta Hruskova (CZE) looking to keep in the hunt while Natalie Van Coevorden took up the task for Australia and Sarika Nakayama for Japan.
The Australian dived in just as Kasper rounded the buoy 150m in front of her, the American 15 seconds ahead of Betto and Thorpe, but the two were slicing through the water well and, once out onto the bike together, worked well to catch the leader on lap two. Behind those three it was 40 seconds to Germany, Switzerland and Czech Republic and time was running out for the chasers.
Thorpe was lightening through transition and out first, Betto then flying over the opening stages of the 2-lap run to take the lead as Kasper dropped just off the back but always remained in touch while Nina Eim was pulling clear in fourth for Germany and had put 10 seconds into Hruskova hoping to set up Jonas Schomburg for a big finale.
Alessandro Fabian was first into the water for the final time, Saxon Morgan (NZL) right on his feet and Chase McQueen (USA) now 9 seconds back, but the American soon pulled his way alongside and then past those two and began the final run up the long route into transition with a slender advantage.
By now it was over a minute to the Swiss and Czech teams, Schomburg giving everything but all on his own as he tried to reduce the 30-second deficit. There was nothing he or anyone else could do once McQueen had his bike racked and was out onto the run, the American stretching further and further towards his now inevitable golden moment and the team that awaited him at the finish line.
The battle for silver was now being won by Morgan, the New Zealander ensuring a memorable Series debut for himself and McCullough, before Fabian delivered the bronze for the Italians.
Schomburg duly saw Germany home 20 seconds later, Sylvain Fridelance and Matthew Hauser crossing in fifth and sixth for Switzerland and Australia followed by Jan Volar (CZE) and Jeremy Briand (CAN), the Japanese lapped out with no luck on the day.
“It was a pretty cool feeling, pretty hard racing out there but i’m proud of the team and we pulled through for second, so I am really happy,” said New Zealand’s Saxon Morgan afterwards. “We mixed up the team today and went through the order of where we should go and I think we nailed it - I am super proud of the team and the effort" added Ainsley Thorpe.” I am so proud of this team,” said Nicole Van Der Kaay. “Our boys have never done anything like this so they really stepped up to the challenge and we’re walking away with a medal, so I am over the moon.”
“Finally!" said a delighted Alessandro Fabian. “Today was amazing, especially with this team, I have to thank them for bringing me into the right position to get the medal. I performed quite well and I am really happy to achieve this.”
“It was a really brutal weekend but finally we are really happy with the result,” said Alice Betto. “I tried to do my best, I wanted to be in the front from the beginning to the end because it was important for us to try and get this result. I am really happy for me and my team.”
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