Alexander Hinton and Joanna Brown Claim Gold in Quebec at Teck National Junior Series Triathlon Race

July 25, 2010

MAGOG, Que.—Alexander Hinton and Joanna Brown locked up their first victories of the season in the third leg of the men’s and women’s triathlon Teck National Junior Series races in Magog, Quebec on Sunday.

The 19-year-old Hinton rebounded after a slow start to the 750-metre swim to exit the water in fourth spot. Hinton had strong race tactics while working together with a group of four on the 20-kilometre bike portion of the race, before being caught by nearly 20 riders at the mid-way point on the bike. Exchanging leads through the second transition and into the 10-kilometre run, the Kingston, Ont. native put the hammer down on the field at the five-kilometre point, and ran to his first-ever title.

“It certainly feels good to get the win,” said Hinton who clocked a time of 58 minutes, 29 seconds. “I hadn’t raced in nearly a month and came so close to winning earlier this year in Coteau-du-Lac, so I am really happy I was able to win.”

Hinton was joined on the men’s podium by Quebec’s Charles Khazoom who clocked a silver-medal time of 58:42. Ian Donald, of Guelph, Ont., finished third at 58:51.

Meanwhile, Joanna Brown had to fight through a bout with sickness in addition to the nation’s next generation of elite triathletes to claim her first women’s title in Canada this year. The 17-year-old Brown exited the water at the back of the lead pack and was able to manage her energy through the bike to set up a strong run. Brown, of Carp, Ont., posted a winning time of 1:05:07.

“I haven’t been able to do much for the last six days because I was sick so it feels great to be able to win today,” said Brown, who grabbed the title despite running an extra kilometre on the rest of the field. “I didn’t have the power I usually have on the bike, and I missed a turn on the course and had to circle back so I had to run quite a bit further, but it worked out and I’m happy.”

Calgary’s Ellen Pennock made a breakthrough while jumping onto the podium for the first time on the National Junior Series. Pennock claimed the silver after clocking-in at 1:05:39. Dominika Jamnicky, of Port Hope, Ont., rounded out the women’s podium in third with a time of 1:05:39.

The Teck National Junior Series is the nation’s premier development race circuit which allows athletes and coaches the appropriate focal points for training and monitoring athlete progression. The annual four-race series is used by Triathlon Canada for World Junior Team and Canada Games selections. The Series will culminate with the Junior National Championships in Kelowna, B.C., August 22.

Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic 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.

TOP-FIVE RESULTS:
National Junior Series Results: (750-metre swim; 20-kilometre bike; 5-kilometre run)
Junior Men
1.Alexander Hinton, Kingston, Ont., 58:29; 2. Charles Khazoom, St-Charles, Quebec, 58:42; 3. Ian Donald, Guelph, Ont., 58:51; 4. Francis Lefebvre, Laval, Quebec, 58:53; 5. Marc-Antoine Christin, Vaudreuil-Dorion, Que., 50:58.

Junior Women
1. Joanna Brown, Carp, Ont., 1:05:07; 2. Ellen Pennock, Calgary, 1:05:28; 3. Dominika Jamnicky, Port Hope, Ont., 1:05:39; 4. Gabrielle Edwards, Saskatoon, 1:06:08; 5. Amelie Kretz, Blainville, Que., 1:06:34.

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