Davis pleased to survive ‘hardest race of my career’
The three component course was set up in picturesque countryside an hour outside Beijing: a hulking dam provided the backdrop on one side while a disused amusement park sitting in the shade across the Ming Tomb reservoir was an indication of former joys and glories.
But there was nothing idyllic about an event made up of a 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run. Throw in relentless sun and suffocating humidity, and you understand why the sadists were smiling yesterday.
Fifty five went to the start line. Ten didn’t reach the finish and at least one was removed from the course on a stretcher.
Ireland’s first Olympic tri-athlete Emma Davis was, however, one of brave ones who survived the course and the elements.
“That was very tough. I think it was the hardest race of my short career,” she said after an impressive 37th placed finish in a time of 2:06.29. “The conditions were one thing but everyone lifts their game for the Olympics. I’ve been going as hard as I could all year so there was nothing to lift. I give it my all every time and I did the best job I could today.”
The 22-year-old, whose father hails from Bangor, enjoyed a tremendous start but was quickly swallowed by the masses of flailing arms and legs.
She revealed: “I was leading for the first 200 or 300 metres up to the buoy and then we all came together in a pack and it got pretty rough.”
How rough we enquire? “It gets very rough,” she stressed. “It gets quite catty, so I just struggled on as best I could and came out off the pack.”
Davis left the water in 35th, lost two places in transition, before mounting a surge on the bike leg.
She admitted: “I have been working a lot on time trialling because I knew with some of the girls that were here that could be the case (that the cycle leg would be crucial).
‘‘It was a very hard swim. I worked very hard on the bike and didn’t have much left for the run. But if you want to catch people — that’s what you have to do.”
Though she achieved that goal, the combination of the heat and that second leg began to take its toll and she failed to make up ground in the run.
“I’m just happy to be here,” she said of her Olympic experience. “I’ll have a sit down with my coach after this and have a look how things went. But it was a great experience. I’ll be back. I’ve only been training full time for less than a year. I have a lot more to come.’’
Team manager and coach Richard Stannard heaped praise on Davis and predicts bright things for her in London in 2012.
He said: “This really is an endurance race like you can’t imagine and Emma has done a fantastic job. I’ve got a video showing 47C on the course level and to race in those conditions is unheard of.’’
Stannard added: “Emma was ranked 387 in the world last year and she moved right up the rankings and was 53rd going into this race. She finished 37th. It is a fantastic result and it bodes well for four years time. After another four-year cycle who knows where she will be? Finishing is this kind of temperature and humidity is very difficult.’’
Australian Emma Snowsill and Emma Moffat claimed gold and bronze with Vanessa Fernandes of Portugal taking silver. Snowsill, ranked No. 3 in the world, was the world champion in 2003, 2005 and 2006 and is a nine-time World Cup winner. Her winning time was 1:58.27, just over eight minutes faster than Davis.
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