New Zealand qualified three women for the London Olympic Games at the latest ITU World Triathlon Series race in Madrid, Spain this morning NZT while Andrea Hewitt did enough to move up to second on the world rankings.

You needed eyes on the front, middle and rear and a calculator at hand to follow the races within the race as Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland in particular jostled for the final positions in the top 8 nation rankings, and with it three spots on the start line at the London Games in August.

With London very much her focus and with plenty of training miles in her legs, Andrea Hewitt raced steadily, picking off a number of athletes in a strong second half of the run to come home in 9th and move back to number two on the world rankings, close on the heels of Helen Jenkins (GBR). The performance from Hewitt was all the more impressive given she was affected by a pollen allergy in Madrid this morning.

But Nicky Samuels achieved the bigger goal on the day, securing a third spot for New Zealand and therefore herself in London with a mature and well paced effort, coming home 15th after also running through close to a dozen competitors in the 10km run. Samuels raced impressively throughout, emerging from the water in touch with the leaders and riding within herself on the bike, always keeping an eye on Ryf. The Wanaka athlete then moved into her work on the run, immediately moving clear of a tiring Ryf to post an impressive result in her second race back after having surgery to remove her appendix.

While Nicola Spirig (SUI) won the day from Aileen Morrison (IRE) and Barbara Riveros Diaz (CHI), the challenge from the Swiss for a top 8 position in the nation rankings never materialised with Daniela Ryf no match for the kiwis, finishing well back in the field, confirming New Zealand and Germany as the final two nations to earn the 3 spots in London.

ITU World Triathlon Championship
Madrid, Spain
Elite Women
1 Nicola Spirig                      SUI                 2:06:35
2 Aileen Morrison                IRL                  2:06:38
3 Barbara Riveros Diaz       CHI                 2:06:40
4 Anne Haug                        GER               2:06:43
5 Rachel Klamer                  HOL                2:07:05
6 Ainhoa Murua                   ESP                2:07:18
7 Vicky Holland                    GBR               2:07:19
8 Alexandra Razarenova   RUS               2:07:32
9 Andrea Hewitt                   NZL                2:07:38
10 Liz Blatchford                  GBR               2:07:43
Plus
15 Nicky Samuels                NZL                2:08:22

RUNNING
20th birthday celebrations set for iconic Taupo event
On Sunday 4th August a special birthday party will be taking to the streets of Taupo and everyone is invited!  The annual Mizuno Taupo Half Marathon will be celebrating its 20th birthday.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013

MOUNTAIN BIKING
Young North Canterbury rider top 10 in Mountain Bike World Cup
Young North Canterbury mountain biker Ben Oliver had an impressive start to his international career with a top-10 finish in the opening round of the UCI World Cup.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

CYCLING
Archbold scores first win for new pro team
BikeNZ Olympian Shane Archbold has taken no time to strike for his new professional team with victory in stage two of the An Post Ras Tour of Ireland today.

Tuesday, 21 May 2013

TRIATHLON
Bozzone bounces back with race record win in Florida
The 2008 IRONMAN 70.3 World Champion Terenzo Bozzone has put his injury problems behind him with a comeback win in Florida today.

Monday, 20 May 2013

BMX
Walker excited as tickets go on sale for UCI BMX World Championships in Auckland
Fans will get their first chance to see the best BMX riders on the planet when Auckland hosts the 2013 UCI BMX World Championships on 24-28 July.

Monday, 20 May 2013

RUNNING
Camille Buscomb on track to qualify for 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
From Hamilton, Camille Buscomb is New Zealand’s leading female middle-distance athlete.

Monday, 13 May 2013

MOUNTAIN BIKING
Brook MacDonald 2013 The Search for Scree
New Zealand Downhill Mountain Bike Champion Brook MacDonald searches for some new and challenging scree.

Monday, 13 May 2013

TRIATHLON
Sisson looking for swim solutions to back his blistering run speed
Ryan Sissons knows what he is capable of and his 10km run split at the ITU World Triathlon Series race in Yokohama yesterday again hinted at it, but the 24 year old Aucklander is again cooling his heels after a less than satisfactory swim.

Monday, 13 May 2013

TRIATHLON
McIlroy holds on for top ten on a 'flat day' in Yokohama
Kate McIlroy made the most of a bad day at the office when finishing 9th at the latest round of the ITU World Triathlon Series in Yokohama today, a result that leaves the Wellington athlete 7th in the overall series standings after three races.

Sunday, 12 May 2013

CYCLING
Redemption for Hubbard
It was redemption today for Tom Hubbard from the Homestyle Cycling Team as he won the third round of the Benchmark Homes Elite Cycling Series, the 133 kilometre the Parry Field Lawyers-Ocean Ridge Classic.

Saturday, 11 May 2013

MOUNTAIN BIKING
Rotorua named among Red Bull's eight 'Best Bike Trails on Earth': The only trail destination in the Southern Hemisphere
Rotorua's world-renowned mountain bike trails have won global praise from Red Bull as one of the eight top mountain biking destinations on earth – the only place awarded such recognition in the Southern Hemisphere.

Friday, 10 May 2013

CYCLING
Strong BikeNZ line-up for prestigious tour in Netherlands
BikeNZ will field an impressive eight-strong team to contest the prestigious Olympias Tour in the Netherlands starting on Monday (NZ time).

Friday, 10 May 2013

Endurance Sport news is powered by infonews.co.nz