Three years ago Jenkins left the Chinese capital unsatisfied with her Olympic performance but today she added another overall gold to the one she won a few months before the 2008 Games.

Second place on the day behind New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt was enough to maintain her lead in the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series, which she finished with 4,023 points.

Hewitt was the outstanding performer on the day, putting in her best race of the year to capture only her second series race title after Madrid in 2009 with a time of 1 hour 58min 26sec - which was the exact same time that Australia's Emma Snowsill recorded to win the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold medal.

And with Canada's Paula Findlay an early withdrawal from the race, pulling out in the first lap of the bike, and Chile's Barbara Riveros Diaz falling off the pace in the run, it was enough for Hewitt to move into the overall World Championship silver medal position with 3,836 points.

Jenkins, who won her first ITU World Championship in 2008, now joins company like Emma Carney, Michellie Jones, Karen Smyers and Emma Moffatt as women who have won two ITU world titles.


"That was a really tough day, I'm so happy," Jenkins said.

"I just didn't have it in the end to go past Andrea, it would have been awesome to take the win here but I'm just so pleased just to win the World Champs again, amazing.

"Andrea just had a really big kick down the end that I couldn't hang on to, I tried to go with it and then, my legs just went.

"It was a really tough day, the front group we all worked really hard on the bike and for once the breakaway stayed away and I think it shows that if we all do commit on the bike it can work...this is a course that you have to be strong over all three disciplines and if you've got any weakness, like you could see today, you just end up at the back of the race."

Hewitt commented: "Last year I was so close to getting on the podium for the World Champs series, so this year coming second, it just makes up for everything.

"From the start of the run, I led the first km and then as soon as she passed me I just hung on to her and I knew I had a little bit more energy when it came to the last part, so I went for it soon as I came into the stadium."

The battle for bronze in both the Grand Final race and the overall series standings was far from settled though, as both were decided in the final few hundred metres.

In the race for the grand final podium, Switzerland's Melanie Annaheim outsprinted Lisa Norden, Laura Bennett and Kate McIlroy to capture her first ever series medal.

"It's just amazing, I have no words at the moment, just 'wow,'" Annaheim said.

"I like it hilly, not so much like London so it was a good course for me and just a great day."

Tenth place on the day was enough to earn Sarah Groff of the United States overall bronze with a total of 2,783, 23 points more than Australia's Emma Jackson, who was overtaken by Moffatt in the final few hundred metres to finish 12th.

"I am absolutely shocked," said Groff.

"My first response upon crossing the finish line was 'I just want to get to the medical tent'.

"That was a really, really tough day.

"I'm absolutely honoured to be on the podium with two such phenomenal athletes."

The battle for places was on from the start in a fast swim, with a total of this 70 women dove into the Shisanling Reservoir in the Changping district near Beijing.

Jenkins quickly moved to the front, alongsideKerry Lang they drove a fast-pace which splintered the group early.

A total of 15 athletes exited together, including Jenkins, Groff, Hewitt, Annaheim, Mcllroy, Norden, Bennett, Liz Blatchford, Vicky Holland, Debbie Tanner, Kate Roberts, Alice Betto, Flora Duffy and Tomoko Sakimoto.

Only Holland and Roberts dropped off over the 40 kilometres bike leg.

A chase pack that included Moffatt, Jackson, Riveros Diaz, Snowsill and Nicola Spirig then couldn't put any time on the lead group in the bike.

Even with Spirig battling up front, the gap spread from 30 seconds on lap one to a 2-minute difference at T2.


With that lead it was always going to be hard to catch anyone in the front group as Jenkins and Hewitt pulled away in the second lap to seal the top two positions in the Grand Final and overall ITU World Championship. But the tense battle then did emerge for bronze.

Riveros Diaz was still in that medal position in T2, but she ended up finishing in 42nd place, almost seven minutes down from the leaders as Groff moved into third overall and Jackson fourth. Riveros Diaz still held on to fifth place in the overall ITU World Championship standings,

Findlay ended up sixth overall, followed by Moffatt, Bennett, Norden and Annaheim.

In other notable results, Jessica Harrison met France's qualifying criteria for the London 2012 Olympic Games with her seventh place, while Mcllroy's sixth place finish meant she also met New Zealand's qualifying criteria for the Olympics.

Jenkins's performance was the latest in a hugely promising British sequence for next year's Olympic hosts, following the gold and silver finish of Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, and the clean sweep of the previous day's under-under 23 championships.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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