World Triathlon: Non Stanford & Vicky Holland book Rio spots
- Published
World Triathlon Series Grand Final |
---|
Women's race coverage: Highlights on 91热爆 Two, 15:00-16:30, Saturday, 19 September |
Men's race coverage: In full on 91热爆 Two, 23:30 BST, Saturday, 19 September. Highlights on Red Button 12:30-13:30 and 91热爆 Two 16:45-17:45, Sunday 20 September |
Britons Non Stanford and Vicky Holland booked their places at the Rio 2016 Olympics by finishing in the top three at the World Triathlon Grand Final.
Stanford was second and Holland third behind Gwen Jorgensen in Chicago.
American Jorgensen broke away on the run to claim a second successive world title with her 15th victory in a row.
"It's a tough criteria and to say I haven't been sweating over it is an understatement," said Wales' former world champion Stanford.
Holland said: "Getting on the podium was a win. When it was just three of us who broke on the run I thought, 'I just have to stay with this'."
Jorgensen completed the course - consisting of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run - in one hour 55 minutes 36 seconds.
Stanford, the second Welsh woman to secure her Rio place after sailor Hannah Mills, finished 29 seconds behind, with Holland a further 15 seconds adrift.
The 2012 World Under-23 champion Stanford won the senior title the following year.
But injuries ruled Stanford out of most of the 2014 season, including the Commonwealth Games, and began her bid to win selection for Rio at the ITU event in Yokohama in May 2015.
That campaign ended successfully in Chicago where fellow Briton Jodie Stimpson, the 2014 Commonwealth champion, was sixth despite injuring a shoulder in a fall on the run.
Compatriot Helen Jenkins finished 11th, Ireland's Aileen Reid was ninth and Briton India Lee was 56th.
Jonny Brownlee, who will compete in the men's race on Sunday, can seal a Rio 2016 spot with a top-three finish despite an
Brother and Olympic champion Alistair is recovering from ankle surgery, but could still book his place at an assessment race in 2016.
The Grand Final is the final race in the with athletes accumulating points that count towards Olympic qualification.
- Published18 September 2015
- Published18 September 2015
- Published19 September 2015
- Published21 September 2018