Sophie Coldwell and Morgan Davies celebrated golden performances today (Sunday 26 July 2016) at Tri Liverpool, the second race in the 2015 British Triathlon Super Series.
Sophie Coldwell and Morgan Davies celebrated golden performances today (Sunday 26 July 2016) at Tri Liverpool, the second race in the 2015 British Triathlon Super Series.
Sophie Coldwell, who finished as runner-up in 2014, was determined to go one better in 2015 and take the Tri Liverpool victory. The determination paid off as Sophie excited the water in second place behind fellow UK Sport Lottery funded World-Class Performance Programme triathlete Jess Learmonth and took an early lead heading onto the bike leg in tough conditions in Liverpool. The pair worked well together on the bike, before Sophie pushed for the win on the run to take the Tri Liverpool title and British Elite Sprint Triathlon Championship title in 01:02.18.
Sophie was delighted with the win, commenting: “It was an exciting race, I was glad to get that break away again just like last year and to hold onto the win today has made it a really special day. I think having competed in World Triathlon races, it’s helped me with my tactics and it’s made me more aware. I’ve learnt so much from it all.
“It’s a great location here, being in the city centre. Lots of people come out to cheer you on and I’d definitely recommend it for someone looking for a great race to compete in.”
Second place went to Emma Pallant, the 2013 Tri Liverpool champion, who came out the water in tenth place, and despite pushing hard, couldn’t quite make up the distance between herself and the eventual winner, Sophie Coldwell. Emma finished 28-seconds back in a 01:02.46, whilst Jess Learmonth delivered a second successive third place finish at Tri Liverpool crossing the line in 01:03.06.
The elite men took to the iconic course in the final race of the day as the crowds lined the Dockside in anticipation. Morgan Davies delivered the first triathlon victory of his career after bursting away from former champion, Brendan Sexton to take the win by just four-seconds in 0:57.28.
The race had been close until the final stages of the run, where Morgan had already attempted to break away on the second-lap. However, it was his second and ultimately decisive burst that delivered the British Triathlon Elite Sprint Triathlon Championships and maximum points in the penultimate British Triathlon Super Series race of the season.
Morgan commented: “It’s my first ever win in a triathlon, so I’m really happy with that. It’s surprising as I took a bit of time out recently – my last two races haven’t gone to plan and I’ve felt a bit run down, but today went really well.
“It was a physical swim but I managed to get towards the front although on the bike I found it tough. Thankfully the run was great though, I felt really in control and I paced myself out at the front out of transition. I tried a few things and made a move on the second lap and got a bit of a gap, but they were closing down on me all the time. I tried to make them work a bit harder and then it allowed me to push on in the final lap. Three years ago I came here and Brendan absolutely destroyed me. It’s great to come and do well and take the British title.”
In second place was the former champion, Brendan Sexton from Australia who finished in 0:57.32. In third place was Matthew Wright from Barbados in 0:57.20.
Welshman, Liam Lloyd won the silver medal in the British Elite Sprint Triathlon Championships with David Bishop taking bronze in 0:58.36.
Tri Liverpool also hosted the fourth race of the British Triathlon Youth and Junior Super Series.
In the junior women’s race, Sophie Alden crossed the line in first place in a time of 01:06.38, with Ffion-Haf Harrett in second with a time of 01:08.45. Third place went to Julie Nimmo in 01:09.20.
Sophie was delighted with the win, commenting: “The swim was a bit messy – I got dunked a few times, but managed to get some clear water and get round. I latched onto the bike and the senior girls really helped pull me along. I did my best to work and hold onto them and it paid off!”
In the junior men’s race, Sam Dickinson took the title in 0:58.05, with James Teagle second in 0:58.11. Jack Willis finished third with 0:58.41.
In the elite youth races, Imogen Moroney took the girl’s title in 0:38.38. Ellie White finished second in 0:38.48 and Hollie Elliott was third in 0:38.51. In the boy’s race, Travis Bramley finished first in 0:34.03, Cameron Main finished second in 0:34.10 and Frederick Webb finished third in 0:34.16.
If you missed the action at Tri Liverpool, you can watch the highlights programme on Channel 4 at 7am on 8 August 2015.
Tri Liverpool was delivered by British Triathlon in partnership with Liverpool City Council and the organisers are delighted to announce that the 2016 Tri Liverpool event will take place on Sunday 14th August 2016.
