Runaway Bay test for Irish in Australia
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Runaway Bay Sport Complex, a training venue in the past for Commonwealth Games and World Championships, hosts the Oceania Supersprint Championships this weekend. Among the 36 entered in the women’s race are 3 non Oceania athletes including Emma O’Brien and Zoe Wogan racing for Ireland.
There are 3 heats with the top 2 in each qualifying directly to the final followed by repechages giving a total of 16 into the A final.
The race has a 250m pool swim followed by a superb bike course with long flat straights and a tight car park section over 2 laps of 3.5km, and finishing with a 1500m run on the track.
The field is led by Nicole Van Der Kaay, Eva Goodisson, Ainsley Thorpe and Emma Jeffcoat, all among the top 60 in the World Ranking.
O’Brien and Wogan recently raced each other over the sprint distance in an event won by Australian Junior Aspen Anderson from Zoe Clarke. In the swim Clarke led out with Anderson 22 seconds back with O’Brien out 6th a further 3 seconds behind and Wogan out 8th a further 15 seconds behind. Clarke led out the Napier World Cup swim this year on her way to 15th with Jeffcoat , Thorpe and Goodisson within 10 seconds of her but Anderson over 30 seconds back.
With a pool swim and a very technical opening kilometer of the bike it will be an excellent test for the Irish athletes, especially of any mixed team relay potential.
Jeffcoat has been easily the most complete bike rider I have seen this year in any coverage but may be beatable on the short run, possibly by Van Der Kaay.
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