The 2012 London Olympic Triathlon gets underway shortly with the women’s event on Saturday August 4th.
Olympic Triathlon events have had their fair share of surprises and generally there are plenty of upsets along the route. And with the London 2012 technical course starting with a 1.5km swim in the Serpentine it is expected to be a very fast route amongst the strong contenders.
Lucy Hall(GBR), one of the triathlete world’s strongest swimmers is expected to set the pace on the day. However, Helen Jenkins (GBR), Erin Densham (AUS) and Andrea Hewitt (NZL) will not be willing to let Hall get too far of a gap.
The second leg of the Triathlon is a seven lap, 43km bike ride. The course is flat but technical, and as it is slightly longer than the standard Olympic course it may be one that separates the riders and lends to a strong breakaway for the final event. If Daneila Ryf (SUI) comes out of the water at a reasonable time her talent on the bike may give her the head start she needs for the final run.
The final four lap 10 km run will test the ladies and if the cycling portion of the event doesn’t lead to a breakaway then it may lead to one of the events stronger runners to decide the result. Gwen Jorgensen (USA), Anja Dittmer and Emma Jackson have all had success in the running portion of the Triathlon and will be hard to beat to the line. But Paula Findlay (CAN) should not be overlooked. Plagued by injury this season, Paula is yet to complete an ITU event but she has five titles to her name and is a superior runner, if fit enough she may bring a gold home to her native land.
The 2011 world champion Helen Jenkins (GBR) wants desperately to win on home grounds but every triathlete will be equally as keen to take Olympic glory. It wouldn’t surprise me if none of the favourites takes gold and someone that has had a quiet season is victorious on the day.
