2016 ITU world champ, Spaniard Mario Mola, has retained his Gold Coast crown after a sprint finish that saw off rivals Fernando Alarza, Javier Gomez Noya, and Richard Murray.
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The sprint distance race came down to the final 5km run, with Mola locked in a battle with fellow Spanish athletes Alarza and Gomez, and South African Murray. But in the final few hundred metres Mola pulled away from Murray to take his second consecutive Gold Coast win, in a time of 52 minutes and 35 seconds.
“It was a very tough race as usual, but with the sprint, Richard, Fernando and Javi they were all on fire. I had to give 100 percent today to get this win,” Mola said.
“Every race is a new opportunity and a different opportunity to give our best and to try our best. In Abu Dhabi I did not think I was less fit, or more fit than I was today but in this racing these guys are very good. If you don’t have your best day you can go from first to eighth to 20th, that is racing. So to get a good result I am happy to have a good performance.”
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Murray finished second and Fernando Alarza third. Gomez’s fourth was enough to see him remain the series leader, while Australia’s Jacob Birtwhistle finished fifth, which saw him meet Triathlon Australia’s qualification criteria for a Commonwealth Games spot.
There were no Brits racing.
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