Madrid, Spain (May 25, 2008) - Javier Gomez joined exclusive triathlon company by winning today's Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup, the historic 200th in ITU history. He became just the fourth man to win ten world cup titles, joining legends Brad Beven, Hamish Carter and Simon Whitfield. The win also extended his incredible world cup podium streak to 16 races.

"It's so special, this is my tenth victory. My first one was here. It was perfect with all the people," said Gomez at the finish line.

After the 1.5-kilometer swim, the men faced tough conditions during the 40-kilometer bike course as a substantial rain storm rolled in. The downpour flooded the transition zone and created cold conditions, forcing many to withdraw from the race. A few men attempted breakaways but ultimately 20 rode into T2 together.

Russia's Ivan Vasiliev was out on the 10-kilometer run course first but was quickly joined by Gomez and Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee and Will Clarke. After the first lap, the Spaniard started to crank up the pace. Brownlee looked like he was trying to match Gomez but soon backed off, not willing to risk a meltdown in such a critical British Olympic selection race.

Gomez powered on, building a 25-second lead on the bell lap and cruised to the finish line to take his third world cup title of the year. Vasiliev took the silver for his second world cup medal of 2008. Brownlee, the 2006 junior world champion, hung on for the bronze, fending off a late charge by compatriot Tim Don. With top-8 performances from both Brits, they will be the front runners for selection to the British team along with Will Clarke who finished sixth.

"I'm absolutely over the moon. I had such a bad start to the season," said Brownlee.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was Christian Prochnow who finished fifth to clinch the final spot on the German Olympic team ahead of established German stars Maik Petzold and Andreas Raelert.

With the tenth place finish, Matt Reed will likely pull the U.S. ahead of Russia for the 8th spot in Olympic country rankings, which sets up a spectacular showdown next month in Vancouver for the BG Triathlon World Championships, the final opportunity for athletes to earn Olympic points.

2008 Madrid BG Triathlon World Cup, Spain
1.5km swim, 40km bike, 10km run
Elite Men - Official Results
Gold - Javier Gomez (ESP) 1:56:25
Silver - Ivan Vasiliev (RUS) 1:56:44
Bronze - Alistair Brownlee (GBR) 1:56:53
4th - Tim Don (GBR) 1:57:04
5th - Christian Prochnow (GER) 1:57:13
6th - Will Clarke (GBR) 1:57:15
7th - Maik Petzold (GER) 1:57:23
8th - Laurent Vidal (FRA) 1:57:39
9th - Steffen Justus (GER) 1:57:41
10th - Matt Reed (USA) 1:58:09