from triathlon.org — Whitfield sprints to Kitzbuhel win (July 22, 2007) In the most exciting sprint finish of the year, Simon Whitfield of Canada has just won the 2007 Kitzbuhel BG Triathlon World Cup in a time of 1 hour 42 minutes and 56 seconds. Whitfield used his devastating finishing sprint to run his way to his second world cup win of the season and ninth of his career. Just nipped at the line by Whitfield was Frenchman Frederic Belaubre, only one second behind. In third was another top sprinter Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia, a further 4 seconds back.
Coming into the few kilometres, five of the sport’s top runners, Whitfield, Belaubre, Kahlefeldt and Sven Riederer of Switzerland, Andreas Raelert of Germany and Will Clarke of Great Britain were running shoulder to shoulder. With two kilometres to go the screw was tightened and Raelert and Clarke were the first to drop off the torrid pace. Next was Riederer to fall back leaving only the three eventual podium athletes together with one kilometre left. At 300 metres, Whitfield would kick, immediately putting 5 metres between himself and the other two. From here Whitfield would cruise in for the victory with Belaubre edging out Kahlefeldt for second.
Whitfield would push the pace from start to finish today, exiting the water in first position, something he has never done before, and even trying to breakaway from the 50-man, lumbering bike group at one point.
Jordan Rapp 