4th for Whitfield in Japan

Simon Whitfield Narrowly Misses Podium at

ITU Triathlon World ChampionshipSeries in Japan

—Whitfield places fourth, Brent McMahon finishes ninth for Canada—



YOKOHAMA, JPN—Canada’s Simon Whitfield took a major step forward in punching his ticket to his fourth Olympic Summer Games on Monday with a fourth-place finish at the ITU’s World Championship Series in Yokohama, Japan.

The 36-year-old, along with his 30-year-old teammate Brent McMahon, completed a stellar day with both Canadians having their best races of the season en route to finishing in the top-10 for the first time this year. Whitfield narrowly missed the podium in fourth spot at one hour, 50 minutes, 14 seconds (1:50:14), while McMahon locked up his best World Championship Series finish in ninth place at 1:50:28.

“I would have liked a podium, but it is fun to be back,” said Whitfield. “I followed my buddy Brent McMahon on the bike for a couple of laps as he is the captain of the lines, and in the run I just paced myself properly and came through in the end.”

Both Victoria residents came out of the water of the 1.5-kilometre swim in the chase pack, but with McMahon leading the chase pack through the first loop on the 40-kilometre bike, onelarge group of 50 riders worked their way through the streets of Yokohama to set the race up for a battle of the run to decide the winners.

“I am pretty excited with my finish today. I have worked pretty hard over the last 19 months, and I havebeen through a lot of ups and downs,” said McMahon after battling through the heat with temperatures rising to the mid-30’s. “I’ve struggled with the heat in the past, but as an athlete you challenge yourself to overcome your barriers. Earlier this year in China I passed out at the finish line in the heat, andtoday I felt strong right to the end.”

Portugal’s Joao Silva won the men’s race with a time of 1:49:21. Two Russian athletes rounded out the men’s podium. Alexander Bryukhankov grabbed the silver at 1:49:35, while Dmitry Polyansky ran to the bronze medal with a time of 1:50:04.

The last two years have been anything but a sweet ride for both Whitfield and McMahon. It appears the two time Olympic medallist, Whitfield, is close to finding his top stride after a difficult start to the season. Whitfield fed off his 13th-place finish at the Grand Final last week in Beijing for his fourth-place finish on Monday.

“It (the season) ended up the way we planned it, but I had to bite my tongue at the beginning of the year and show patience,” said Whitfield. “We built towards London, and had to make some adjustments after that race. We stuck to the plan and I am proud of that.”

With the goal of qualifying three Canadian men for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games, McMahon’s road back into the top-10 is nothing short of remarkable. After taking 19 months off with a knee injury, the 2004 Olympian racked up three bronze medal finishes on theContinental Cup and his first ITU World Cup victory last month in Hungary.

“I’ve had to play a lot of catch up, but Triathlon Canada has gotten behind me and helped me get to these races so we can see three Canadians at the Olympics. It so great to have the support of your nation behind you,” said McMahon. “It has been really, really hard with lots of good and bad training and races. But we have kept our eyes on the goal and we are hitting the right things at the right time.”

Victoria’s Andrew Russell finished 25th at 1:50:28, while Kyle Jones, of Oakville, Ont., did not finish.

Quebec’s Manon Letourneau was the lone Canadian to finish the women’s race, placing 46th with a time of 2:09:34. Montreal’s Kathy Tremblay did not finish.

Andrea Hewitt, of New Zealand, won the women’s race for the second straight week. After grabbing her first Grand Final title last week in Beijing, Hewitt ran to the gold medal in Japan with a time of 1:59:17. Australia’s Emma Moffat was second at 1:59:30, while Kate Mcllroy, also of New Zealand, secured the final spot on the podium with a time of 1:59:44.

The Yokohama, Japan race was rescheduled for September 19 after the Japan earthquake forced its cancellation earlier this year. The points won during the race will count towards the 2012 World Championship Series season.

Complete World Championship Series Results (1.5 km swim, 40 km bike, 10 km run): www.triathlon.org

Top-Five Men’s Results and Canadian Results;

1. Joao Silva, POR, 1:49:21; 2. Alexander Bryukhankov, RUS, 1:49:35; 3. Dmitry Polyansky, RUS, 1:50:04; 4. Simon Whitfield, Victoria, CAN, 1:50:14; 5. Matt Chrabot, USA, 1:50:15.

Other Canadian Results:

9. Brent McMahon, Victoria, 1:50:28; 25. Andrew Russell, Victoria, 1:52:34; DNF. Kyle Jones, Oakville, Ont.

Top-Five Women’s Results and Canadian Results;

1. Andrea Hewitt, NZL, 1:59:17; 2. Emma Moffatt, AUS, 1:59:30; 3. Kate Mcllroy, NZL, 1:59:44; 4. Aileen Morrison, IRL, 1:59:48; 5. Emma Jackson, AUS, 1:59:57.

Canadian Results:

46. Manon Letourneau, Quebec, 2:09:34; DNF. Kathy Tremblay, Montreal.