Canadian Triathlete Joanna Brown Bronzed in Buffalo at Pan American Cup

 

 

BUFFALO, N.Y.—Canada’s Joanna Brown continued a solid rookie season as an elite triathlete after winning the bronze medal in a Pan American Cup race in Buffalo, N.Y. on Saturday. Ranked third alongside Olympians Sarah Haskins and Flora Duffy, the 19-year-old Canuck had one of the strongest 1.5-kilometre swims of the year after diving into Lake Erie. With Haskins and Duffy  wasting no time to jump well ahead of the field, Brown took advantage of a fast transition to hammer the 40-kilometre bike before setting up a strong 10-kilometre run to finish with a third place time of 2:07:29.

 “It was a lot tougher today than I thought it would be,” said Brown following the awards celebration. “Those girls took off so I really felt like I had to hammer the bike. I really felt it on the bike. My legs were tired but I held on. It wasn’t the smoothest race, but it was good and I’m happy.”

 Haskins, of the United States, finished on top with a time of 2:03:05, while Bermuda’s Duffy settled for the silver medal at 2:04:21.

 It was the third international medal for the Brown this year. The bronze medallist at the 2010 Junior World Championships finished second at Dallas stop of the three-race Pan American Cup race series in the United States. The Carp, Ont. native also captured her first international gold medal after winning the Continental Cup this year in Magog, Que.

 “It has been a really good year,” said Brown. “Training has been upbeat and smooth. I have been learning a lot, but I feel like I’m getting stronger every race so I’m really looking forward to World Championships.”

 Calgary’s Alexandera Coates finished just outside the top-10 in 11th spot. Two other Canadian women also hit the start line. Emma Lujan was 14th while Leanna Lee placed 20th. The Americans grabbed the top two spots on the men’s podium. Jarrrod Shoemaker ran to the gold with a time of 1:52:44, while Gregory Billington was second at 1:52:52. Mexico’s David Mendoze rounded out the men’s podium in third at 1:53:06.

 Alexander Hinton, of Kingston, Ont. finished as the top Canadian in 12th. The 21-year-old Hinton, who startled the field to win the silver medal at the Edmonton World Cup earlier this summer, clocked a time of 1:56:20.

Four other Canadians also hit the start line in the 32-man field. Matt Vierula was 15th, Andrew Bysice finished 19th, while Derek Quick was 23rd, and Philippe Vezina placed 31st.

For a complete list of results, including Canadian results, please visit www.triathlon.org

Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as anOlympic medal sport since 2000, Triathlon Canada’s mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com on the Internet.