Hackett Holds Out Harrop For National Honour

Newcastle Herald

Monday April 30, 2001

MOOLOOLABA: Nicole Hackett beat Olympic team-mate Loretta Harrop in a sprint finish to retain her title in a controversy-marred Australian women's triathlon championship yesterday.

Hackett and Harrop led from the opening 1500m swim leg of the Olympic-distance event.

Hackett, 22, broke away over the final 200m of the 10km run to win by 12 seconds in 2hr 6min 37sec.

There was drama at the end of the race as fourth-placed Melissa Ashton was disqualified by Triathlon Australia for receiving assistance to cross the finish line.

New Zealander Rina Hill caught a staggering and exhausted Ashton metres short of the line and instinctively helped her across, prompting a successful protest from fifth-placegetter Liz Blatchford.

Ashton then appealed against her disqualification, but it was later dismissed. The first three Australian placegetters join Olympic silver medallist Michellie Jones in the national team for the world championships in Canada in July.

Ashton, the 2000 Oceania champion, fell twice within 200m of the finish line while clinging desperately to third place.

Medics immediately carried the severely dehydrated and heat-affected Ashton to the medical tent after also helping her across the line.

Brisbane-based Hill dismissed her Good Samaritan act as reflex.

`I couldn't have stomached just running past her,' she said. `I don't know if she would have recollections of it. She was looking really pale and frothing at the mouth.'

Former dual world and Australian champion Emma Carney dropped out of the race in the bike leg.

Harrop, who placed fifth at the Sydney Olympics, and Hackett, who was ninth, extended their lead on the field on each lap of the course.

`It was a hard, tough course but I kept something inside for the run,' Hackett said.

`At one stage I didn't think I would finish, especially when I started to get cramps at the start of the run. But I felt so fresh off the bike, I knew I could do it.'

The final two positions in the Australian world title team will be awarded after the Toronto World Cup event on July 21.

In the men's race, world No.4 Chris McCormack dedicated his first Australian title to his mother, who was buried exactly two years ago.

`I was thinking about her on the run when I knew I had it won,' McCormack said. `It's two years to the day of her funeral. I know she'd have been so proud.'

McCormack surged in the last two 5km laps of the 40km bike leg to jump from 20th place to lead the crack field out on the 10km run.

Australia's top-ranked triathlete, Chris Hill, finished second, Sydney's Craig Alexander was a surprise third and defending champion Miles Stewart was fourth.

The top four qualified for the world championships.

© 2001 Newcastle Herald

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