One from one in 2020

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Mooloolaba, Australia hosted the first and so far only World Cup race of 2020, with Vicky Holland and Georgia Taylor-Brown securing a one-two finish.

The event on the Queensland coast saw a wealth of elite athletes line up along the beach ahead of the 750m ocean swim.

Coming out of the choppy water first were Emma Jeffcoat (AUS) and Kirstin Kasper (USA) with the British quartet of Olivia Mathias, Sian Rainsley, Holland and Taylor-Brown not far behind as they entered T1.

The five lap, 20km bike course saw a large group of women all riding together as they tackled the route together. Working as a pack, they covered the distance as one, with the Brits working alongside Jeffcoat and Kasper to keep the pace high.

Jeffcoat was the first athlete out of T2, however it was anyone’s race with the tightly bunched group of athletes seeking to make the defining move to secure the top spot on the podium.

Holland and Taylor-Brown made the move together, setting off and breaking away from the group, with the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist having the stronger closing stages of the 5km run to take gold.

In her first race in Mooloolaba, Taylor-Brown took silver, with Ashleigh Gentle claiming bronze in front of her home crowd. Rainsley finished in 18th, with Mathias next across the line in 19th place.

Above: Highlights of the women's race in Mooloolaba.

“I’m really happy to win here in Mooloolaba today,” Holland said. “I wanted to put into practice the work I’ve done over the winter specifically to do with the swim and the bike. The run is a bit unknown for me at the moment as I’ve not done lots of running.

"Georgia and I created a gap quite early [on the run] and I tried to really push it on in the second lap knowing it would mean we would break away from the chase pack. Then once we were clear, it was between me and Georgia. I was able to use the downhill on the last lap to breakaway to surprise myself to win.”

Four British men took to the course in Mooloolaba, with Ben Dijkstra, Alex Yee, Tom Bishop and Sam Dickinson pulling on the GB trisuit.

Despite not being amongst the top athletes out of the water, all four Brits were part of a large lead cycling pack and helped push the pace on the 20km course.

Home favourite Matthew Hauser was the first man off his bike and on to the run, as he sought to make it a home victory for Australia.

Above: Highlights from the men's race in Mooloolaba.

Dijkstra ran with the lead group which included Luke Willian (AUS), Ryan Sissons (NZl) and Kenji Nener (JPN) for most of the 5km, with a fierce battle brewing for the podium places.

Hayden Wilde (NZL) put his compatriot, Sissons, under pressure in the closing stages, however Sissons had the better of Wilde in a sprint finish that saw him take gold ahead of his fellow countryman.

Dijkstra finished fourth, a matter of seconds behind Willian (AUS) who took the final podium place. Bishop finished 14th, with Yee and Dickinson 37th and 38th having been caught up in a crash approaching T2. 

Photo credit: Delly Carr/ITU Media

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