Spain’s Javier Gomez ran one of the fastest 10kms in International Triathlon Union history on his way to a dominating ninth career World Cup win, while Australia’s Emma Moffatt took the favorite’s role for the Australian women’s second Olympic slot with a six-second victory over Sweden’s rising star Lisa Norden Sunday in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

Gomez, the current two-time ITU World Cup points champion and early favorite for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, followed his season-opening World Cup win at Mooloolaba with a second-straight triumph over runner-up Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia. Making up a one minute deficit after the bike, Gomez and Kahlefeldt ran down a pack of eight leaders by four kilometers into the run, and then Gomez blasted away in overdrive with a 29:37 final 10km run for a 31-second margin of victory.

“It’s amazing – two weeks two victories,” Gomez told ITU Media at the finish. “This was my best race ever, the best way to start the season.”

His ninth World Cup win moved Gomez into fourth place on the ITU career victory list and just one behind active leader Simon Whitfield of Canada.

“That was one of the fastest runs I’ve done on the circuit - on a tough course as well,” said Kahlefeldt, who closed with an other-than-Gomez stellar 30:11 run for his second-straight runner-up finish.

Race organizers, mindful of the cavalier attitude toward accurate course distances among many triathlon race directors, insisted that the run course was at least 10 kilometers in distance - underlining the Gomez's achievment. Backing up the statistical likelihood that the New Plymouth run was regulation distance, the fastest women's run was 34:44, a good but not unusually fast time for Moffatt.

“All credit to Javier,” said Kahlefeldt, who along with Courtney Atkinson has already qualified for the Australian men’s Olympic squad. “He was absolutely flying out there and there wasn't much I could do today to beat him.”

Moffatt had a tougher battle for her second World Cup win to follow a breakthrough gold last year at Edmonton. Moffatt, fellow Aussie Felicity Abram and 2007 Under-23 world champion Norden of Sweden overtook bike leader Nicky Samuels of New Zealand three kilometers into the run. After a tight duel, Moffat used a strong finishing kick to leave Abram in third and outpace Norden by six seconds to the line. Abram finished nine seconds later taking bronze and her first-ever World Cup podium.

“I had a bit of pressure on myself for today to make sure I performed, since it was my last opportunity to do so for our Australian Olympic selectors,” said Moffatt to ITU Media at the race. “I had to see what I could do and I guess I did it.”

Norden, who scored her first-ever BG World Cup podium last week with a third-place finish at Mooloolaba, Australia, behind hall of famers Emma Snowsill and Vanessa Fernandes, moved up one notch with a silver medal and took the 2008 World Cup series points lead, finishing with a 34:46 10km that was only two seconds slower than Moffatt.

Moffatt, who finished second to 2007 BG World Cup series points champion Fernandes last year, is one of a pack of talented Australian women seeking the second and third 2008 Olympic slots behind already-selected Snowsill. Performance in the first three World Cups of the season will play a deciding role for Australian selectors. Moffatt finished a disappointing ninth behind newcomer Alee Sharp last week in Mooloolaba and has decided not to contest next week’s World Cup in Ishigaki, Japan.

The women

Moffatt, Anais Moniz of Portugal, Sharp of Australia, a resurgent Liz Blatchford of Great Britain and Maria Czesnik of Poland all exited the water at around 20:36. Top contenders Andrea Whitcombe of Great Britain, Samantha Warriner of New Zealand, Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand, Felicity Abram of Australia, Helen Tucker of Great Britain and Samuels followed about 8 seconds later, with Norden trailing the leaders by 45 seconds.

On the last of six laps that comprised the tough 40km bike leg, Nicky Samuels broke away from the leaders and hit the run with a 35-second lead over Moffatt, Blatchford, Warriner, Norden, Abram, Hewitt and Whitcombe. Samuels had motivation to have a spectacular race. Just days prior to New Plymouth, New Zealand Olympic selectors chose veteran Andrea Hewitt for the final Kiwi women’s Olympic slot and tabbed Samuels as first alternate.

Samuels, an Under-23 world title contender in 2006, could not hold on for an upset win and surrendered the lead to the eventual podium trio after three kilometers. But she did get a measure of personal redemption, outpacing Kiwi Olympians Warriner and Hewitt with her seventh-place finish.

Swiss newcomer Daniela Ryf scored the best World Cup finish of her career with her fourth place.

Defending Olympic champion Kate Allen of Austria was knocked out of the race in a crash with Mary Beth Ellis of the U.S. and Evgeniya Matveeva of Russia on Lap Four of the bike. According to Kai Baumgartner of 3athlon.de, Allen crached on a downhill traveling about 35 mph, with Ellis and Matveeva running into her and Austrian contender Lisa Huethaler clipping the fallen bikes but avoiding a crash. Baumgartner reported that Ellis suffered a broken forearm. Allen suffered three broken teeth, a bruised nose, twisted right thumb and multiple scratches, bruises and cuts which required 22 facial stitches. With the crash, the Austrian women fell from eighth to ninth in ITU rankings by country, cutting the alpine nation's women's Olympic slots from three to two. Allen's recovery will likely be lengthy, and will probably miss a scheduled start at the European championship in Lisbon, Portugal, in May.

The men

Gomez improved on his shockingly bad swim at Mooloolaba, emerging from the water in 17:36 in a virtual tie with Marko Albert of Estonia and 2007 and rising contender Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain. Top contenders Terenzo Bozzone of New Zealand (17:41), Paul Tichelaar of Canada (17:43) Kris Gemmell of New Zealand (17:49), led the rest, with dangerous Andrew Johns of Great Britain trailing but still within range of a large chase pack in 18:12.

By the end of the bike, a pack of 13, including Brownlee, Bozzone, Tichelaar, Johns, Stuart Hayes of Great Britain and Maik Petzold of Germany, made a break and put one minute on Gomez and Kahlefeldt.

“We had a minute after the bike, so I thought I’d just wait for Javier,” Andrew Johns told ITU media. “I thought we could wait until the 7km mark, but I think Javier caught us at 5km. I went ‘Whoa!’ I tried to go with him but that boy’s got some serious pace nowadays and I think I lasted 300 meters.”

Johns hung on to finish third, 13 seconds back of Kahlefeldt, the Brit’s first World Cup podium since 2003. Gemmell closed fast with a third-best 30:17 run to take fourth, 10 seconds back of Johns, with Belgium’s Peter Croes taking fifth four seconds back of Gemmell.

Bozzone, who competed hard in an effort to show New Zealand selectors they made a mistake by choosing 2008 Oceania Champion Shane Reed as the third New Zealand men’s Olympic team member, faded to 24th with a 33:20 run.

In the ongoing battle for the third Australian men’s Olympic team slot, Brendan Sexton had the best day with a seventh place finish, with fellow Aussie Dan Wilson taking 10th. And Matt Hopper 25th. Late entry into the Aussie sweepstakes Greg Bennett, who scored ahead of his remaining rivals with a fifth-place finish last week at Mooloolaba, did not enter.

New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup
New Plymouth, New Zealand
Sunday, April 6, 2008
1.5km S/40km B/10km R

Elite Women's Results
1. Emma Moffatt (AUS) 2:01:01
2. Lisa Norden (SWE) 2:01:07
3. Felicity Abram (AU) 2:01:16
4. Daniela Ryf (SUI) 2:01:48
5. Liz Blatchford (GBR) 2:01:48
6. Andrea Whitcombe (GBR) 2:01:59
7. Nicky Samuels (NZL) 2:02:10
8. Samantha Warriner (NZL) 2:02:42
9. Alee Sharp (AUS) 2:02:51
10. Andrea Hewitt (NZL) 2:03:02
21. Erin Densham (AUS) 2:04:41
41. Julianna Batizy-Morley (USA) 2:17:05

DNFs: Kate Allen (AUT); Heidi Grimm (USA); Pilar Hidalgo (ESP), Jodie Swallow (GBR), Evelyn Williamson (NZL)

Elite Men's Results
1. Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:47:33
2. Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) 1:48:03
3. Andrew Johns (GBR) 1:48:16
4. Kris Gemmell (NZL) 1:48:26
5. Peter Croes (BEL) 1:48:30
6. Paul Tichelaar (CAN) 1:48:46
7. Brendan Sexton (AUS) 1:48:54
8. Dimitry Gaag (KAZ) 1:48:57
9. Stuart Hayes (GBR) 1:48:58
10. Dan Wilson (AUS) 1:49:03
11. Olivier Marceau (SUI) 1:49:06
42. Joe Umphenour (USA) 1:52:25
57. Dave Messenheimer (USA) 1:57:41
58. Kevin Collington (USA) 1:58:50\