Athens 2004 Women's triathlon
The swim
Anja Dittmer (GER) on her way to the swim start.
Ana Burgos (ESP) waving to the crowd before the swim start.
It was a non-wetsuit swim over a rectangular course marked with buoys in Oceanida beach in Vouliagmeni, south of Athens, water temp 25 deg.
Taormina (USA) and Harrop (AUS) lead. Williams (USA) and Lindquist (USA) are close behind - here the four of them exiting the water.
Harrop was first into T1.
The bike
Lap 1
Harrop and Taormina lead the first 3 laps throughout the bike.
Williams and Lindquist follow a few seconds behind. Julie Dibens is leading the chase.
Lap 2
Smet (BEL) breaks off the chase pack and tries to bridge to the leaders. Zelenkova (CZE) has a large bruise on her thigh and her knee is bleeding. She must have suffered a fall and will abandon at transition. Moreno (BRA) and Soldan (BRA) will also abandon. D’Cruz (COL) has fallen off the pace but is staying in the race.
Lap 3
Harrop and Taormina at the front, Williams and Lidquist a few secs behind. Smet is chasing them on her own. Allen (AUT) and Cortassa (ITA) lead the main chase pack at the start of the first hill. Harrop is still leading Taormina on the way back into transition. Williams and Lindquist work together rotating, but Lindquist stays more at the front. Smet is still in 5th place but cannot bridge up to the Americans. The main chase pack is more than 1 min behind, being led by the 3 Japanese and Allen into the first hill.
Lap 4
Taormina and Harrop are still riding at the head of the race. Williams and Lindquist follow a few seconds behind.
Smet is in 5th, riding alone ahead of the chase pack in a futile effort to bridge the gap to the Americans.
The chase pack is being led onto the 1st hill by Dibens and Dillon (with the red helmet), with Allen and Cortassa immediately behind. Jodie Swallow is visible trailing off of the end of the pack.
Down from that hill Dibens leads the chase (not visible in the photo below)
with Allen in second place. Cortassa is close behind, with the Japanese women next to her. Dillon is further back in the pack
while Swallow has fallen off the end of the chase pack and is riding alone.
Harrop has led Taormina throughout the bike. But during the 4th lap Taormina will drop back
leaving Harrop alone at the head of the race.
Lindquist and Williams follow. Lindquist has been stretching her calves on the bike, which might seem as a bad sign. Smet in 5th. Dibens leads the chase back into Vouliagmeni with Allen behind her. Swallow is trailing behind the end of this chase pack.
The run
Lap 1Harrop has a clear lead. Williams, Taormina and Lindquist are chasing her. Then Smet still having a lonely race.
A couple of hundred meters behind her are Allen, Cortassa, Fernandes and Dillon. Dittmer and Burgos lead a large group after them.
Franzmann (GER), running with a smile on her face all through as if to compensate for Dittmer's clear anxiety, and Radova (CZE) are still further back.
Then Generalova (10th finisher at the Salford ITU race in July), Hoogzaad is running strongly next
and only then Dibens appears (in 25th place?). She is paying the price of leading the chase on the bike almost singlehandedly for the last two laps. Jodie Swallow is still further back and looking defeated - clearly aware she is now out of contention.
On the way back into Vouliagmeni, Harrop is still leading with Williams and Taormina following. Lindquist has fallen further behind.
Allen and Cortassa are pacing up and are running strongly in 6th and 7th place behind Smet.
Fernandes and Dillon are following next in 8th and 9th place.
Lap 2
Harrop still with a comfortable lead over the Americans but Allen and Cortassa are flying.
About a km into the second lap and they are about to overtake Smet, whose face is a mask of pain.
Allen will in fact finish with a time of 34:14 in the run, with Cortassa doing the second fastest time overall at a minute slower after losing touch with Allen on the final lap.
Fernandes and Dillon are a bit further behind. Taormina suffers cramps into the lap and falls behind Williams. Burgos (ESP) catches up with Dillon and Fernandes halfway into the lap and they are running for a while together. Fernandes seems to find it hardest to keep up, while Burgos has the psychological advantage. Dittmer follows next at the lead of a chase pack that has now spread out a bit. She looks disappointed. Lanza (ITA) and Niwata (JAP) follow Dittmer.
Lap 3
Harrop still in the lead but Allen is now running at a pace no one can match. She has left Cortassa behind and has overtaken Williams. Smet is in 4th place. Fernandes, Dillon and Burgos are still running together in 5th-7th place
as Taormina is drifting back through the field after her cramps. MacMahon (SUI) and Dittmer follow them.
Harrop is still leading with a km to the finish but Allen is now close behind and running at a 400m sprint pace. Allen eventually overtakes Harrop in the last few meters, winning the race with Harrop 2nd and Williams 3rd. Smet follows in 4th, then Cortassa in 5th place.
Burgos and Dillon have dropped Fernandes and are running alongside for 6th place.Dillon will eventually prevail - to finish just 2 seconds ahead of Burgos.
Julie Dibens will finish in 30th place and Jodie Swallow in 34th.
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