Triathlete jake birtwhistle’s surprise silver

Thewest

Triathlete jake birtwhistle’s surprise silver"


Play all audios:

Loading...

Steve JanceticAAP Coming into the final run leg flagging in 12th, Jake Birtwhistle gave himself little chance of becoming Australia’s first medallist of the Gold Coast Games. After a


gruelling bike leg spent chasing a breakaway, a top 10 wasn’t even looking likely. But the 23-year-old Tasmanian put together a run leg for the ages, reeling in all but one – South African


Henri Schoeman – to claim silver. It was a brilliant performance considering the calibre of those he left in his wake. The lead group of six – which included Brownlee brothers Alistair and


Jonathan – entered the run leg 30 seconds ahead of Birtwhistle’s pack. “I honestly thought I’d be struggling to finish in the top 10 or top eight,” Britwhistle said when asked if he thought


a medal was a realistic option as he slipped on his runners.. _TO WATCH THE 2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES LIVE AND ON THE GO, DOWNLOAD THE FREE 7COMMGAMES APP ON ITUNES OR ANDROID._ “Those guys up


front, they’re the strongest swim-bikers in the sport. In saying that, they’re bloody good runners too. “I’d say I’m probably one of the best runners in the sport. “I thought I’d be able to


close the gap, I didn’t expect to pull that many back, I guess, and run my way to second.” The result went some way to making amends for the disappointment of missing out on the team for


the Rio Olympics, which he admits may have come a year too soon in his development. It also gave him bragging rights as Australia’s first medallist on the Gold Coast. For much of the race it


looked like Matt Hauser – who celebrated his 20th birthday on Tuesday – was the Aussie most likely to break through for a medal. He refused to be dropped from the lead group of six –


featuring himself, the Brownlees, Schoeman, Scotland’s Matt Austin and Kiwi Tayler Reid – which established a handy lead coming out of the swim leg. Schoeman broke them early in the run, and


was never headed, finishing in a time of 52 minutes 31 seconds. “I thought the guys were just starting off pretty easy and I thought I’d take an opportunity and go for it,” Schoeman said of


the run leg. “At the end, the gap was getting bigger and bigger, I was really confident I’d beat the guys in my group.” The result signalled the end of an era, with injury and a poor


preparation finally catching up with the Brownlees - who had both finished on the podium at every Commonwealth and Olympic Games podium since 2012. Jonathan Brownlee fared little better, the


world No.2 coming home seventh. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails


Trending News

Romesh ranganathan opens up about turbulent childhood as dad sent to jail

COMEDIAN ROMESH RANGANATHAN HAS OPENED UP ABOUT HIS TEENAGE YEARS AS HIS LIFE WAS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN WHEN HIS FATHER WEN...

Presidential poll: here's why venkaiah naidu is grateful to amit shah

"My president (Amit Shah) has done (me) a favour", says Venkaiah Naidu. Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who w...

Nvidia and two other chip names could be a buy amid the big tech volatility

Semiconductor stocks took a hit Friday amid a sweeping technology rout, but were still on track for their best week in m...

Bbc host skewers bank of england for 'wrong' brexit predictions

Mr Broadbent continued: "The MPC said that in August 2016 and he said could, not would. That was not a prediction n...

The public cost of private schools: rising fees and luxury facilities raise questions about charitable status

Some UK private schools appear to be taking advantage of their charitable status and the lax legal definition of “public...

Latests News

Triathlete jake birtwhistle’s surprise silver

Steve JanceticAAP Coming into the final run leg flagging in 12th, Jake Birtwhistle gave himself little chance of becomin...

Little-known tips and tricks to use on your smartphone

6 ANDROID TIPS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW Note that several companies make Android smartphones, unlike Apple iPhones. You might ...

3 Ways Novavax’s COVID-19 Vaccine Is Different

By Rachel Nania,   AARP En español Published June 09, 2022A new vaccine could soon be available to millions of U.S. adul...

All india pre-medical test issue: supreme court orders cbse to hold re-examination in 4 weeks

A vacation bench comprising justices R K Agarwal and Amitabha Roy passed this order following the leak of the question p...

Green nanoparticles for oligonucleotide delivery

Access through your institution Buy or subscribe Oligonucleotide is a short, versatile polynucleotide DNA or RNA chain t...

Top