By Duncan Mackay

Paula_Findlay_wins_ITU_World_Series_Madrid_June_5_2011June 5 - Canada's Paula Findlay extended her remarkable record when she won her fourth race in five starts at the Dextro Energy International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championship series race in Madrid today, edging out Britain's Helen Jenkins, with an impressive performance.


Findlay added Madrid to victories in London and Kitzbühel last year and the 2011 season opener in Sydney, putting her level with Australia's reigning world champion Emma Moffatt for most total series race wins, impressive given that Findlay is yet to complete a full season after only starting halfway through last year.

The 22-year-old from Vancouver clinched victory by sprinting away from Jenkins in the final 200 metres of the final discipline, the 10 kilometres race, with France's Emmie Charayron passing New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt in the final lap to take her place on the podium.

Despite her record, Findlay still said she came away surprised - particularly when she heard the news she'd tied Moffatt's record.

"No idea, oh man, I don't even know, I didn't know that," she said.

"It's so cool.

"I just respect the Emmas [Moffatt and Snowsill] so much, I'm so shy around them, I just respect them so much and just every single person I race against, I'm so star struck at the pre-race meeting every time so it's really really so cool to be running with them so being on top of the podium is really really cool.

"I can't even describe it, it doesn't feel it like it at all, I still feel like an underdog everytime I come into these races and I am still starstruck by seeing the Emmas and everyone, so it's just amazing to be winning them.

"I'm very happy."

Jenkins, the 27-year-old former world champion, was happy with her silver, particulary after cuts from a bike crash in the opening round in Sydney became infected and put her out of training for two weeks in the lead up, saying she just couldn't catch Findlay.

"I managed to catch back up to Andrea and Paula and I was really suffering then," she said.

"I was kind of hanging on and my legs weren't feeling great and I knew that Paula was going to push on stage so I just wanted to hang with her, but I just couldn't keep up she was just too good over that last 400 metres."

Charayron was happy with her efforts, that saw her move through the field.

'I'm very pleased because I had an injury during the winter and the first series in Sydney was very hard, so I'm pleased to have another medal like last year," she said.

In the overall Dextro Energy Triathlon Series rankings, Findlay has extended her lead, Chile's Barbara Riveros Diaz stays in second place after finishing fifth in Madrid and Hewitt third.

America's Laura Bennett is in fourth after coming eighth today and Jenkins moves up into fifth place.

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