Lessing Runs Away With Fourth Title
August 31, 1998 - 0:0
LAUSANNE, Switzerland Britain's Simon Lessing ran away with an unprecedented fourth Triathlon World Championship title on Saturday. Trailing after the swim and cycling stages, Lessing turned in a gutsy effort in the 10-km run, crossing 27 seconds clear of New Zealand's Paul Amey to secure his fourth crown in seven years. The 26-year-old Briton, champion in 1992, 1995 and 1996, completed the 1.5-km swim, 40-km bike and 10-km running sections in a total time of one hour 55 minutes 30.5 seconds.
Amey took the silver in 1:55.57 and 1991 world champion Miles Stewart of Australia the bronze with 1:56.04. It was a very hard race. Each year it gets harder and harder because the competition is getting tougher and tougher, said Lessing, who also claimed the long distance Ironman title in 1995. Over the last five years the level of racing has gotten so much better.
Because of that, each victory becomes sweeter. I knew it was going to be tough right from the start. With International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch looking on, Australia's Craig Walton was first out of the water after the swim in a calm but icy Lake Geneva, taking a 13-second advantage over Lessing and World Cup champion Hamish Carter of New Zealand into the cycling.
Walton's race, however, came to a sudden end with a nasty spill on the third of four laps around the demanding, hilly layout through the Olympic capital. Switzerland's Jean-Christophe Guinchard, urged on by 35,000 supporters lining the route, was the first off the bike, just 1.7 seconds in front of Hamish and 10 clear of Lessing and defending champion Chris McCormack of Australia. But before they made the turn in front of the Olympic Museum, Lessing had taken the lead and pulled away from the rest of the field.
I've worked hard on my running this year and I knew at the end of the bike I could count on a good run, said Lessing, who plans to compete at the 2000 summer games in Sydney where the triathlon will make its debut as an official medal sport. I've been training with some French Olympic runners who raced in Barcelona and with the times I've been running on the track I knew I was capable of a good time.
I know generally I'm a good runner. I didn't have a particularly good swim today and I was little bit worried on the bike but it seemed to get better and better as things went on. I knew after the first kilometre of the run that I would be OK, he said.
Amey took the silver in 1:55.57 and 1991 world champion Miles Stewart of Australia the bronze with 1:56.04. It was a very hard race. Each year it gets harder and harder because the competition is getting tougher and tougher, said Lessing, who also claimed the long distance Ironman title in 1995. Over the last five years the level of racing has gotten so much better.
Because of that, each victory becomes sweeter. I knew it was going to be tough right from the start. With International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch looking on, Australia's Craig Walton was first out of the water after the swim in a calm but icy Lake Geneva, taking a 13-second advantage over Lessing and World Cup champion Hamish Carter of New Zealand into the cycling.
Walton's race, however, came to a sudden end with a nasty spill on the third of four laps around the demanding, hilly layout through the Olympic capital. Switzerland's Jean-Christophe Guinchard, urged on by 35,000 supporters lining the route, was the first off the bike, just 1.7 seconds in front of Hamish and 10 clear of Lessing and defending champion Chris McCormack of Australia. But before they made the turn in front of the Olympic Museum, Lessing had taken the lead and pulled away from the rest of the field.
I've worked hard on my running this year and I knew at the end of the bike I could count on a good run, said Lessing, who plans to compete at the 2000 summer games in Sydney where the triathlon will make its debut as an official medal sport. I've been training with some French Olympic runners who raced in Barcelona and with the times I've been running on the track I knew I was capable of a good time.
I know generally I'm a good runner. I didn't have a particularly good swim today and I was little bit worried on the bike but it seemed to get better and better as things went on. I knew after the first kilometre of the run that I would be OK, he said.