AUSTRALIA, Mooloolaba – Under calm and clear conditions triathlon’s best gathered on the Eastern coast of Australia for the season opening BG Triathlon World Cup. At the end of the day it was two of the sport’s stars, Emma Snowsill of Australia and Javier Gomez of Spain, who added to their triathlon hardware collection with wins over stiff competition.

In the women’s event, Vanessa Fernandes’ bid for history was again derailed by three-time world champion Snowsill. In the first head-to-head battle between Snowsill and Fernandes of the season, it was the home favourite who triumphed. Fernandes settled for silver, approximately 39 seconds behind. Last year’s Under23 world champion Lisa Norden of Sweden had an incredible run to take the bronze, becoming the first Swede to ever podium at a world cup in ITU history.

Snowsill and Fernandes were in the lead pack throughout the swim and bike and ran side by side for the first five kilometres. Snowsill made her move on the third lap when she cranked up the pace going up Alex Hill. Fernandes didn’t respond and let Snowsill get away to take her seventh career world cup title and second straight in Mooloolaba.

“The first race of the season, you just try to blow the cobwebs out. I’m so happy I feel myself again. The problems have dropped away. I feel like I’m back where I want to be,” said Snowsill at the finish line. “Everyone always says it would be great to have a head-to-head with Vanessa [Fernandes]. And I was thinking, ‘Great here it is. I’ve got to try and kill myself in a sprint finish with Vanessa.’ Home crowd advantage is a great thing.”

Fernandes meanwhile just tried to look on the bright side.

“Last year I was third and this year I was second. So that is better,” said Fernandes, who for the first time was second in a world cup, despite finishing third three times before. “I tried to go first at the beginning but Emma [Snowsill] was very strong and was faster then me. I was feeling really good the first two laps and then I think I broke a little bit and she ran away.”

Norden, who broke through last year with her Under23 world championship win and a seventh place at the Rhodes BG Triathlon World Cup, beat several world cup veterans for her first appearance ever on the world cup podium.

“This was far more then I expected today. I’m absolutely stoked,” said Norden. “I just wanted to try to run with the fast girls today. I just wanted to see how fast they run.”

The Swede becomes the first Team BG athlete to medal at a world cup. The Elite Athlete Development Programme (EADP) provides financial and team support to athletes from developing National Federations.

“I really hope that I can show that there are a lot of talented athletes who do not have the support. There is a lot of talent out there that we need to look after.”

American Laura Bennett finished fourth while Brit Andrea Whitcombe rounded out the top five. In a riveting battle between Kiwis Andrea Hewitt and Nicky Samuels for the third and final New Zealand Olympic spot, Hewitt came out on top. Even though she was the top Kiwi across the line in 14th she did not make the top-5 need for automatic selection and will have to wait for book her ticket until the selectors have their say. Shockingly, little known Alee Sharp, who was competing in just her second world cup, was the second-best Aussie in seventh place, beating out established world cup stars Emma Moffatt who finished ninth, Felicity Abram who finished 12th, and Erin Densham who finished 21st.

In the men’s event, Spain’s Javier Gomez opened his 2008 world cup season with a satisfying victory in Mooloolaba today, finishing well ahead of last year’s winner Brad Kahlefeldt. The 2006 world champion Tim Don made it back to the world cup podium, edging out Kiwi Bevan Docherty for the bronze.

Gomez overcame a surprisingly poor start. After the swim he was in 24th place out of the water and suffered a minor crash early in the bike. But he picked himself up and raced back into contention with the lead pack. After losing down the final stretch to Aussie last year, Gomez didn’t leave it up to a sprint this time around. After running together for the first five kilometres, Gomez made his move with his patented negative run split and tightened the screw to run away from his Aussie rival.

“I had a horrible swim; probably the worst swim of my life,” said Gomez at the finish area. “On the second lap of the run I tried (to break away) but Brad (Kahlefeldt) came with me but on the third lap I tried with all my feeling and got away. It’s so special to win here in Australia. It is the country of triathlon. I always wanted to win a race here. I was close last year but Brad beat me.”

Kahlefeldt couldn’t stay with the punishing Gomez pace and dropped back to second. But he was able to hang on for the silver.

“Gomez went at the 5km mark and he got me,” replied Kahlefeldt. “I attacked at the hill and I felt pretty good and he countered at the top and he kept going and going. I gave it my all.”

Don rounded out the podium with the bronze, his first world cup medal since a bronze in Salford in 2005. With a fantastic final lap, Greg Bennett came in fifth place; a result he hopes was enough to impress Aussie Olympic selectors. Also in the top ten for the home team was Brendan Sexton, the Under23 world championships silver medalist and 2004 Olympian Simon Thompson. In the much anticipated fight for the final Kiwi Olympic spot, former two-time junior world champion Terenzo Bozzone finished in 14th place, approximately 50 seconds ahead of Shane Reed who finished 25th. But both will have to wait and see what the New Zealand Olympic selectors decide.

2008 Mooloolaba BG Triathlon World Cup
Elite Women – Results
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold - EMMA SNOWSILL Australia 2:00:44
Silver - VANESSA FERNANDES Portugal 2:01:22
Bronze - LISA NORDEN Sweden 2:02:07
4 - LAURA BENNETT United States 2:02:37
5 - ANDREA WHITCOMBE Great Britain 2:02:45
6 - OLGA ZAUSAYLOVA Russian Federation 2:02:50
7 - ALEE SHARP Australia 2:02:52
8 - JURI IDE Japan 2:03:12
9 - EMMA MOFFATT Australia 2:03:16
10 - ANJA DITTMER Germany 2:03:33
Full field results will be available here

2008 Mooloolaba BG Triathlon World Cup
Elite Men – Unofficial Results
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Gold - JAVIER GOMEZ Spain 1:49:50
Silver - BRAD KAHLEFELDT Australia 1:50:14
Bronze - TIM DON Great Britain 1:50:24
4 - BEVAN DOCHERTY New Zealand 1:50:27
5 - GREG BENNETT Australia 1:50:29
6 – OLIVER FREEMAN Great Britain 1:50:34
7 – PAUL TICHELAAR Canada 1:50:38
8 - BRENDAN SEXTON Australia 1:50:45
9 - SIMON THOMPSON Australia 1:50:53
10 - KYLE JONES Canada 1:50:58
Full field results will be available here

Click here for rankings

Next Up: the world's best head to New Zealand for next weekend's New Plymouth BG Triathlon World Cup.
Click here for the 2008 BG Triathlon World Cup series calendar