A stellar line up at the PTO World Championships saw Britain’s George Goodwin claim bronze in the men’s race, with Holly Lawrence taking fourth in the women’s.
In a year that has starved the majority of the pros racing in Daytona of the swim, bike, run action they’re used to, the unique surroundings of the international speedway welcomed an international field of long and short course athletes.
There were seventeen Brits racing across the men’s and women’s races, with this year’s Outlaw X winner, Goodwin, claiming a spot on the podium in Florida.
Coming out of the swim, it was Jonny Brownlee leading the way for the Brits in third, with Goodwin in 31st, two minutes down on the leader Henri Schoeman (RSA). By the time they’d completed the 80km bike leg however, Goodwin was closing in on the top-ten and entered T2 in twelfth.
Across the course of the run he went from strength-to-strength, passing those around him to make his way into the top-ten as eventual winner Gustav Iden (NOR) established his lead within the first 7km of the 18km run.
With a few kilometres to go, Goodwin was in second place behind the Norwegian athlete who had a consistent lead of over a minute. In the closing kilometres, he was passed by American Matthew Hanson and knocked into third, crossing the line 13 seconds behind the American and a further 50 seconds down on Iden.
Tom Davis finished in an impressive 12th place overall with Adam Bowden finishing the race as the next highest Brit in as he took 15th.
In the women’s race there was a quartet of British women coming out of the water together in the top-five, with Lucy Hall leading eight seconds ahead of Lauren Brandon (USA), Fenella Langridge (+38), Holly Lawrence and Jodie Stimpson (both +42).
Throughout the course of the bike leg, the Brits started to drop back, with overall winner Paula Findlay (CAN) making her way to the front and entering T2 in first place, with Hall third. Langridge, Hall and Kimberley Morrison all battled in and around the top-ten during the run, however it was another Brit, Holly Lawrence who ran strongest.
Lawrence, who started the run in tenth, made strides forward throughout the 18km and held on to finish in fourth. Anne Haug (GER) and Laura Philipp (GER) joined Finlay on the podium. Langridge also took a top-ten finish, crossing the line in seventh.
Photo credit: PTO ; Facebook - @georgegoodwintriathlon
