Golden run
JUST 24 hours after claiming back-to-back World Triathlon Series silver medals, Jake Birtwhistle produced the run of his life to lead Australia to its first gold medal in the team relay.
The Tasmanian made up a 36-second deficit in the anchor leg to power Australia to its first world champion mixed teams gold.
Australia defeated defending champions the US, with the Netherlands rounding out the podium.
Each of the 20 teams competing in Hamburg, Germany, had combinations of two women and two men, with each completing a 300m swim, 7km bike ride and 1.6km run.
Australia started with 26year-old Charlotte McShane, who put Australia into fifth.
McShane was followed by 19-year-old rookie Matthew Hauser and Gold Coast’s Rio Olympian Ashleigh Gentle, who handed over to Birtwhistle in fifth place and within striking distance.
The 22-year-old from Launceston kept his cool, making up 10 seconds on the 300m swim before working with the riders from the Netherlands and Great Britain on the bike as they chased down the USA and Canada.
As the five teams entered the transition area after the bike leg it was Birtwhistle who jumped off first and was third out on to the run.
But it wasn’t long before the former track and field star and 2015 under-23 world triathlon champion stamped his authority on the race.
“I will give it to Hamburg, I love it here. To come out here with these guys, we were all able to put together a good race and end up as World Champions, it is pretty awesome,” Birtwhistle said.
Australia has been the perennial bridesmaids in the teams relay, finishing with silver in 2009, 2015 and 2016 and bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games debut.
“Jake was just amazing, it was a great privilege to be part of this team. I have not been in too many relays but what a great feeling after some scary moments and to be able to pull together,” Gentle said.
The mixed teams relay is already on the Commonwealth Games program for the Gold Coast next year and is the latest addition to the triathlon schedule for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.