Abu Dhabi Triathlon: World Series


Abu Dhabi

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Helen is not renowned for her sprinting.

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But she's going to have to really work hard.

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And just as we speak, Jodie goes into the lead.

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Helen ties to get on to the back,

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but is this the final move from Jodie Stimpson?

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Ashleigh Gentle is still in there in third place.

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But Jodie is now trying to pull away. Helen is hanging on.

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Jodie a little glance over the shoulder. Helen reacted initially.

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Remember, she was the first one of the lead trio to make a move.

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Stimpson covered it and then produced one on her own.

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And Ashleigh Gentle hasn't become completely isolated in third place.

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And Helen has allowed a few metres to grow

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between her and Jodie Stimpson.

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That's giving Ashleigh Gentle room to believe that she can upgrade

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-third to second.

-Yes, Helen's going to have to keep working hard.

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This is hard for her now, it's a really tough place.

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We know she's not at 100%.

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She's probably not even at 95%.

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So she's got to keep working now because otherwise she's got

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Ashleigh Gentle from Australia

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on her shoulder breathing down her neck.

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A top three position for Helen, I think she'll take that

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even though Jodie looks like she'll take the win here today.

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But the battle is really on for the third place to go to Rio.

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Helen now in third place, tucked in behind Ashleigh Gentle.

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And it's Jodie Stimpson who is at the moment

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coming away from a world-class field to lay down a huge marker,

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not just in terms of confidence,

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but in terms of her credentials

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as a potential Olympic medallist in her own right.

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It's seven seconds that she's taken

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out of the Australian and her compatriot Helen Jenkins

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over the last 300 or 400 or 500 metres.

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This is a brilliant performance from Jodie Stimpson.

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She's an athlete who over the years hasn't necessarily got the respect

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that her accomplishments deserve.

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It took a few years to make her realise that she did belong

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at the higher echelons of global triathlon.

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She's a Commonwealth champion.

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She's a world championship medallist, and here she is

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trying to lay down a platform and a marker,

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trying to give herself the belief

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that she's good enough and deserves a place on the British Olympic team.

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That battle will come in the Gold Coast,

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but this is a great indication that she's got the class

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to believe she can get on that plane.

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She's left Helen Jenkins in third place here.

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Jodie Stimpson is starting 2016

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with an absolutely brilliant performance here.

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Ashleigh Gentle is in second,

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Helen Jenkins a great, great run here, for third place.

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She definitely would have taken that

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before the drama began here in Abu Dhabi,

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but Jodie Stimpson will turn to her right-hand side

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and she will see no-one

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between her and the winning tape at the finish line

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here in Abu Dhabi.

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This doesn't guarantee her a place on the Olympic team,

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but it's a fantastic injection of confidence

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ahead of that huge race to come.

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Jodie Stimpson, with possibly

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one of the biggest performances of her career,

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takes the win here in Abu Dhabi.

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A great, gutsy second from Ashleigh Gentle,

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dropped by the leading three or four so many times

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and she has hung on well,

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and Helen Jenkins finishes on the podium.

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So many years dogged by injury,

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but she is back to world-class form

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and what a showdown we have in prospect

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between the two Britons come the Gold Coast.

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What a victory for Jodie Stimpson,

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back on top in the World Triathlon Series,

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and what a platform, looking ahead to that all-important showdown

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against Helen on the Gold Coast.

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Ashleigh Gentle, a brilliant second place for her.

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Helen is back on the podium.

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Good run from Flora Duffy for fourth.

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Renee Tomlin has put herself in the mix for the American team

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and, amongst others, there was no finish for Sarah True,

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for the Olympic champion Nicola Spirig

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or for Katie Zaferes.

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This winter, I can't say it could have gone any better really.

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I've been in Stellenbosch, training with Lisa, Mari and Darren,

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it's been a lot smaller group this time in Stellenbosch,

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but I think we are just very highly motivated, we all are.

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We haven't made our Olympic spots yet, any of us.

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It's really good to get on the podium after a tough year last year.

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Yeah, it shows that I'm moving in the right direction

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for our selection race in the Gold Coast.

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Me and Helen, we are great rivals.

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She's an absolutely fantastic athlete

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and I have so much respect for her.

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I mean, as soon as we crossed the line, it's like,

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we can't make it any harder for them, really.

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Great Britain one and three here in Abu Dhabi.

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What a great, great way for them to tee up this duel in the sun

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in the Gold Coast next month.

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Like Non, Vicky and Gwen Jorgensen,

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New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt has decided to skip Abu Dhabi.

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2015 was a great year for Andrea, one of her best to date,

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culminating in a silver medal at the World Championships.

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But in November her world was shattered

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when her coach and fiance Laurent Vidal

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died of a heart attack.

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Now, Laurent was a great triathlete in his own right.

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He finished fifth in London 2012, but in 2014, while he was swimming,

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he suffered a cardiac arrest.

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He was forced to retire and focus full-time on coaching Andrea.

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He was just 31 years old when he died.

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# In the quiet hours

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# When the lights are out

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# And my mind is free to wander... #

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He was the guy that was always at every race

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and he was such a character.

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He wanted to get the best out of himself he possibly could.

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Always doing his press-ups on the start line,

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would never do a swim warm-up

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and everyone else is stood there for the presentation.

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# ..And I still think of you

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# Every day

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# In a better place... #

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He was a lad athlete.

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He loved having a bit of a beer after the race and enjoying it.

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Always full of advice, always full of quirky anecdotes.

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Because he was Andrea's coach, he was always around the start area

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and at the finish lines and always very supportive of everyone.

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He is very French, he loved a strike and a protest.

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He was always very vocal, very passionate.

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The number of testimonies that went out from all the athletes

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just showed how well thought of and how fond everyone was of Laurent.

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It's very, very sad for the triathlon world.

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And as a tribute to Laurent,

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the number-one position on the start list this weekend

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has been left open.

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Now, if you come out of Non and Vicky's house,

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take a right, a left and a right, eventually you come to Bramhope,

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which is home to another two British triathletes, the Brownlee brothers.

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Now, it's fair to say 2015 was a mixed bag for Alistair and Jonny.

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Some stunning victories, some bad luck

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and, almost inevitably, injuries.

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Alistair came off worst, needing reconstructive surgery

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on his troublesome ankle, but the current news is good.

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They are both fit, they are training hard

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and secure in Olympic pre-selection.

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Now, neither of them is in Abu Dhabi,

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they're in Tenerife instead for some altitude work,

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but we caught up with them

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for some thoughts on what early-season nerves are like.

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I always get more nervous the first race, definitely.

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I think it's the fact you haven't done a triathlon

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for six months sometimes.

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You haven't felt what it is like to stand on that start line

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and also there's the side of it of the uncertainty.

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Have I trained right? Have I trained too much?

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Have I trained too little?

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Has someone made a big improvement over the winter?

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How fit am I?

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Sessions can only tell you so much but racing can tell you a lot more.

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So I don't like that uncertainty side of it.

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Like anything else, try to have had a good block of training into it

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and now you are fit, a few key sessions

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in the few weeks beforehand.

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Triathlon has got a lot of equipment you need for it,

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so it's important to have all that ready, new stuff is tested out,

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you're not using it for the first time for the race

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and then you've just got to stand on that start line and go for it.

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Sometimes I get a feeling on my start line of...

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You have spent six months doing it and I'm on the start line, thinking,

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"I could be cycling to some cafe in Yorkshire somewhere here.

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"Instead, I'm on a start line getting nervous.

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"Why? Why am I doing it?"

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Then I quickly switch back to,

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"This is what I do it for, this is what I love doing."

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But as soon as I dive in the water, I'm normally fine

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and it's all started.

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So, who is in Abu Dhabi

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experiencing what the boys have just been describing?

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Here is Annie Emmerson with the ones to watch.

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With no Brownlees or Gomez,

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Mario Mola will be the one to watch today.

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He will be full of confidence

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after a breakthrough swim in Chicago,

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which saw him exit the water ahead of Gomez.

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Rio is still a long way off, though, and it surprises me

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that his coach, Joel Filliol, has opted to send

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his most successful World Series athlete out to Abu Dhabi

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and start his season so early when he doesn't need to.

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Mola's training partner,

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Richard Murray,

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will have to have his best swim

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if he's to make the front pack,

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but if he doesn't, the weaker swimmers will be relieved,

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as he plays an instrumental part

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in bridging gaps between the bike packs,

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but he will come into the race with a lot of self-belief

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after victory in Edmonton last year

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and a third-place finish at the Grand Final in Chicago.

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2015 was Spaniard Fernando Alarza's best season to date,

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finishing fifth overall,

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but he still has to prove to the Spanish selectors

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that he deserves the third spot for Rio.

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He's been doing a fair amount of domestic racing,

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cross-country and duathlon over the off-season.

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A lot will depend on his swim,

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but Adam Bowden looks to be in great running form.

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He ran 14:09 at the Armagh 5k international earlier in the year,

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and fellow Brit Tom Bishop knows that he is being watched

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as a potential Pilot athlete for the Brownlees,

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but like Bowden, he will have to pull out the swim of his life

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to make the front bike pack.

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There's been a lot of talk from the guys on the circuit, though,

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about how strong he is, so he could be really interesting to watch.

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Time for the men's race highlights.

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Here is Rob and Annie once again.

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A fitting tribute here this morning in Abu Dhabi

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to the late Laurent Vidal,

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fifth in the Olympic Games back in London 2012,

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the athletes paying their own respects

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to their former Athlete Representative on the ITU,

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who tragically died last year,

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a life of passion cut far too soon, far too short.

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Marisol Casado, President of the ITU,

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also placing a flower by the poignant tribute to Laurent Vidal.

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There is no number one today, that belongs to the Frenchman.

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A lot of hard yards and a lot of hard racing

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still to come this year

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and it all starts

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right here right now,

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so what sort of marker

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will Mario Mola lay down

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for the coming season?

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Dorian Coninx, great Junior,

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brilliant Under-23 performer,

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yet to shine on the global Senior stage.

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Aurelien Raphael will certainly be one of those

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hoping to feature at the front of the swim.

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It's the first instalment in a nine-part drama,

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which begins here in Abu Dhabi

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in glorious sunshine

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and warm, tempting seas.

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-On your marks...

-Here we go, then.

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And, at last, after what seemed an eternity,

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they are in the water and on their way for this first-round race.

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No Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, no Javier Gomez,

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but all eyes on Mario Mola.

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What kind of swim will the Spaniard produce here?

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Alongside me, poised and very much looking forward to the action

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and to this race, is Annie Emmerson.

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Well, Annie, there has been so much talk about Mario Mola,

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kind of a breakthrough performance, really, in Chicago

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because he really took it to Javier Gomez

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and it wasn't just the manner in which he won that Grand Final,

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it was the fact that he gave himself such a great chance

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with such a great swim at the start.

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Yeah, you're right, Rob.

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The difference there, in Chicago, in the Grand Final,

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was that it was a wetsuit swim

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and that is definitely going to favour Mola,

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a slightly leaner and much smaller athlete.

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It's a non-wetsuit swim here today, obviously, in Abu Dhabi,

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so it's going to be perhaps a little bit harder,

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but, yeah, you are absolutely right,

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he led out the swim in front of Javier Gomez

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and that was the first time he's ever done that on the circuit.

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Schoeman and Raphael...just watching for the rest of the field.

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Polyanskiy, we always expect a good swim from him.

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Alessandro Fabian.

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Still waiting and watching for Mario Mola.

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Straight out and then back in.

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Tom Bishop going well, just 14 seconds off the pace.

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Alarza, 16 seconds off.

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He's hoping to close in on that last spot for the Spaniards

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as far as the Olympics are concerned.

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Richard Murray, the South African, has nearly 20 seconds to make up.

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No significant break, really, Rob, I don't think.

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11:55 for that first 1,000 metres, so the pace is pretty on.

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It's not exceptional, but it's decent, that's for sure,

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but interestingly, I thought they were

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pushing the pace a little bit harder,

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but the fact that we've got all that group there together,

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no break really as yet and they've only got 500 metres to go.

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And the likes of Schoeman and Raphael

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will be hoping to push home any advantage they can here,

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but interesting first lap.

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There is always such a sense of anticipation

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at the start of the Olympic year.

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Of course, the World Championship is vitally important,

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it's the sport's prestige annual prize,

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but the big one hangs only once every four years.

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Well, yeah, and there's a few athletes

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who are in a very privileged position,

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know already that they are going to the Games,

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but there are a lot of athletes out there

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still fighting for that spot,

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so that's why these early races

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in the World Triathlon Series

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are just so crucial.

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Right, so, coming up towards the end of the swim

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and this has been good, just over 17.5 minutes.

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A little shake of the head from Schoeman.

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Aurelien Raphael, great work by the South African and the Frenchman.

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Knabl has had a good swim,

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so too Polyanskiy...

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..Dorian Coninx and Fabian.

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11 seconds.

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Remember, they've got 13k on this first lap on the bike.

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Alarza desperately trying to impress the Spaniards

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as far as selection for the Olympics are concerned.

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Tom Bishop is still within 20 seconds of the leaders.

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Schoeman there, just taking his time!

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Yeah, pretty casual, there!

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I thought, "Hang on a minute! Is this a race or a training ride?"

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Do you know what, sometimes that is better.

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If you rush too much, you make mistakes.

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There's Alarza.

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Seven top-eight finishes last year.

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Really consistent performer.

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Just watching out to see whether we get a glimpse of Mola.

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There is Richard Murray.

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We would have expected him to have a little bit of a deficit

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to claw back after the swim.

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Joao Silva just heading out onto the roads.

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So, we've got a group here now of around about ten athletes.

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There is a little bit of a gap,

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so they are going to have to work exceptionally hard

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if they are going to stop that big, big group

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that has come out of the swim all together.

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Very early stages, then,

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in this first round of the World Triathlon Series.

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There is Mola.

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So...not the swim that the Spanish winner of the Grand Final

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was expecting or hoping.

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He's not in a bad place, actually, here.

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He's got Blumenfeld there, from Norway,

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who is an absolutely awesome cyclist.

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We've seen him, many times, pulling groups up.

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He got a third in the European Championships.

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Not known as a runner, but a very, very decent cyclist.

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Interesting now, Mola on the front -

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we don't see that very often - working really hard.

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We normally see him tucked in, saving his legs for the run,

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but sensing the danger slightly

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as that front pack just starts to slightly roll away from them.

0:16:140:16:18

Yes, he will want to make sure

0:16:200:16:22

he gets closer and closer as the laps tick off.

0:16:220:16:25

As I said, 13k on the first lap and then six circuits of 4.5k.

0:16:250:16:30

Helicopter just giving us an indication

0:16:320:16:34

as to the gap between the lead group and the chasers.

0:16:340:16:38

And Mola certainly won't be panicking at this stage,

0:16:410:16:44

especially when you bear in mind how fast he is on the run.

0:16:440:16:47

28:59 when he beat Javier Gomez in the Grand Final.

0:16:470:16:52

So, Mola has been issued with a penalty, a rudimentary error,

0:16:570:17:01

not one he'll be caring to repeat later on this season.

0:17:010:17:05

Equipment out of the box

0:17:050:17:08

for the hugely experienced Spaniard.

0:17:080:17:11

Well, it's early season and everybody makes mistakes

0:17:110:17:13

and it's better to make it here

0:17:130:17:15

than halfway through the Olympic triathlon in Rio.

0:17:150:17:18

Absolutely.

0:17:180:17:20

As I said, you know, I think, when you come out a little bit far back

0:17:200:17:23

and you start to panic... We saw Henri Schoeman there, very chilled,

0:17:230:17:26

came out with plenty of time, knew he was at the front.

0:17:260:17:28

And Mola perhaps, you know, just sensing that urgency and like,

0:17:280:17:31

"Oh, my goodness me, I'm sort of like at the back of the field here,"

0:17:310:17:34

and then you make those mistakes.

0:17:340:17:36

These 17

0:17:370:17:41

will do well to stay ahead of the chase pack now.

0:17:410:17:43

They need somebody to really go for it

0:17:430:17:45

and you can see in that head-on shot

0:17:450:17:48

that the chase group are edging closer and closer.

0:17:480:17:53

And then it really would be a brave man to go off the front of...

0:17:530:17:56

what, 30, 35 athletes.

0:17:560:17:58

Then you've got that really cagey sequence of circuits.

0:17:580:18:02

Yes, and those gaps have shrunk considerably

0:18:040:18:08

and we will now have a very, very large lead pack.

0:18:080:18:13

So I guess, if you know you're a really good runner,

0:18:130:18:16

you just sit in, let everyone else do the work

0:18:160:18:19

and prepare for your first 10k off the bike.

0:18:190:18:24

We have a lone cyclist off the front.

0:18:240:18:26

Now, my goodness me, that is certainly brave.

0:18:260:18:29

We are waiting to see who that is.

0:18:290:18:32

Well, it's good to see someone going for it.

0:18:320:18:35

At the moment... And I can only imagine

0:18:350:18:38

that it's someone that they're not really worried about...

0:18:380:18:41

Ah, it's Fabian.

0:18:410:18:43

Again, Alessandro Fabian from Italy.

0:18:430:18:45

You know what? He's kind of...

0:18:450:18:47

He's a bit of an angry man out there.

0:18:470:18:49

He's saying, "You know what? We did all this work

0:18:490:18:51

"and we're going to sit up and let this second pack

0:18:510:18:53

"that contains Murray and Mola get the better of us,"

0:18:530:18:55

and I'm really surprised they've let him go down the road there.

0:18:550:18:58

But good on him for doing it.

0:18:580:19:00

He's no mug.

0:19:000:19:01

He was tenth in the Olympics in London.

0:19:010:19:04

He was doing all the work, or a large percentage of it,

0:19:040:19:07

at the front of that lead group

0:19:070:19:09

and he's decided, "Listen, I know that I probably can't run

0:19:090:19:12

"as quickly as Richard Murray,

0:19:120:19:13

"I know that I can't run as quickly as Mola,"

0:19:130:19:15

although he may not know exactly where Mola is in the race

0:19:150:19:18

at the moment, and he's decided, "I want to give myself

0:19:180:19:21

"the best possible chance of finishing on the podium

0:19:210:19:24

"in the first race of the year leading into Rio."

0:19:240:19:27

This is great to see.

0:19:270:19:28

Alessandro Fabian.

0:19:320:19:34

Hopefully those in the grandstand will applaud

0:19:340:19:37

this brave ride by the Italian.

0:19:370:19:40

Nobody else interested in sharing the workload,

0:19:400:19:43

nobody else interested in going with him

0:19:430:19:45

and he's been ploughing on alone for some...

0:19:450:19:48

what, 10, 12km now.

0:19:480:19:51

And did so much of the work in...

0:19:510:19:52

-you know, in the early bike stages, didn't he?

-Yes.

0:19:520:19:56

So he'll come in and have transition...

0:19:560:19:59

well, for a few seconds all to himself.

0:19:590:20:03

So he managed to maintain that gap.

0:20:030:20:05

Good end to the bike stage for Aurelien Raphael

0:20:050:20:09

after going so well in the water, we would have expected that.

0:20:090:20:13

Watching them all come in now.

0:20:130:20:15

How quickly will the likes of Richard Murray and Mario Mola

0:20:150:20:21

show their running class here?

0:20:210:20:24

Joao Silva, only 16 seconds adrift.

0:20:240:20:26

Grajales, after that amazing performance at the Grand Final...

0:20:260:20:29

And Tom Bishop in the top 20.

0:20:290:20:32

Here's Mola.

0:20:320:20:34

Making sure his equipment is in the box that time.

0:20:340:20:36

Fernando Alarza, remember,

0:20:360:20:38

he still has to impress the Spanish selectors

0:20:380:20:41

and he wants to join Mola and Gomez on the team for Rio.

0:20:410:20:47

Alessandro Fabian there taking on some water.

0:20:470:20:50

Very hot for the athletes.

0:20:500:20:51

It's very humid here and sticky.

0:20:510:20:53

Interesting to see how they've all spread out now.

0:20:530:20:56

Just a little bit, having come in as a big group.

0:20:560:20:58

Transition, they say, is the fourth discipline in triathlon

0:20:580:21:02

and that's so true because, you know, races certainly

0:21:020:21:05

have been won and lost in transition.

0:21:050:21:07

Well, he's already in the process of being joined at the front,

0:21:090:21:12

Alessandro Fabian.

0:21:120:21:15

Great effort on the bike.

0:21:150:21:17

But now it's four circuits of 2.5k.

0:21:170:21:20

Right now, you're not going to bet against Mola,

0:21:200:21:23

that's for sure, are you?

0:21:230:21:25

Yes, he's right there.

0:21:250:21:27

And here he goes.

0:21:290:21:31

Not the ideal swim,

0:21:310:21:33

fairly solid on the bike,

0:21:330:21:35

he incurred the penalty.

0:21:350:21:37

And now he's showing us the class

0:21:370:21:40

that took him to victory in the Grand Final in Chicago.

0:21:400:21:44

Remember, he ran inside 29 minutes when he beat Javier Gomez.

0:21:440:21:48

And his training partner, Richard Murray, in second place.

0:21:500:21:54

Ryan Bailie has had a quiet race so far, but he's a classy competitor.

0:21:540:21:59

The Australian coming into the mix, but look at this from Mola!

0:21:590:22:03

What a declaration of intent this is in the very early stages of this run

0:22:030:22:09

and what a great run this is turning out to be from Adam Bowden.

0:22:090:22:12

He is in that second chase group.

0:22:120:22:15

Ryan Bailie leading those guys through,

0:22:150:22:18

fourth in London a few years ago, and maybe they can work together

0:22:180:22:22

to close down the chase group who have Mario Mola in their sights.

0:22:220:22:27

Still no massive move, though, from Richard Murray yet.

0:22:270:22:31

-TANNOY:

-Mario Mola! And he goes into the penalty tent!

0:22:310:22:35

And now Mola serving the penalty.

0:22:360:22:38

He was accelerating to give himself an opportunity.

0:22:380:22:41

And I guess the biggest thing that can happen here

0:22:410:22:43

is an attack of cramp, but he seems OK at the moment.

0:22:430:22:47

Three, two, one...

0:22:470:22:49

He's off again.

0:22:490:22:50

CHEERING

0:22:500:22:52

I always think that is incredibly hard for the athletes

0:22:520:22:55

because, you know, your heart rate is right up there,

0:22:550:22:57

the adrenaline is pumping

0:22:570:22:58

and you've got to stop dead in your tracks for 15 seconds,

0:22:580:23:01

which is nothing, but I tell you what,

0:23:010:23:04

it's an eternity when they are out there.

0:23:040:23:06

And how quickly will he go past Murray?

0:23:060:23:08

Wow, that's tough, isn't it?

0:23:100:23:11

That's really, really tough for him to be back in that position.

0:23:110:23:15

Murray looking very relaxed.

0:23:150:23:17

The other athletes in front looking very relaxed.

0:23:170:23:19

Mola, of course, the man with the fastest times in triathlon,

0:23:190:23:23

so at the moment, I don't know

0:23:230:23:24

whether that is going to be a major setback in his race,

0:23:240:23:27

but perhaps just showing a little bit of discomfort on his face

0:23:270:23:31

after having to sit out that 15-second penalty.

0:23:310:23:34

Oh, look at that!

0:23:410:23:43

Sat behind them and you thought,

0:23:430:23:44

"Well, OK, maybe he's going to do this for the next 2.5k

0:23:440:23:48

"and save it for the final circuit."

0:23:480:23:50

A really definitive piece of acceleration there from Mario Mola

0:23:510:23:56

and now they are single file

0:23:560:23:58

and possibly we read something into

0:23:580:24:00

the fact that Silva has gone ahead of Murray.

0:24:000:24:03

Murray right there, of course,

0:24:030:24:05

but Silva deciding that he will be the man to try and close the gap

0:24:050:24:09

and run in the shadow of Mario Mola.

0:24:090:24:11

And a couple of metres just opening up between Murray and Alarza.

0:24:140:24:18

Alarza veering off to his right-hand side to get himself a drink.

0:24:180:24:22

Good running here from Adam Bowden

0:24:230:24:26

in the chase group.

0:24:260:24:28

Grajales once again producing a decent performance here

0:24:280:24:32

after that sensational fourth-place finish in the Grand Final last year.

0:24:320:24:38

And Alarza has definitely been dropped, so the Spaniard,

0:24:380:24:42

courtesy of the injection of pace from his countryman Mario Mola,

0:24:420:24:46

is now isolated in fourth and he is going to have

0:24:460:24:48

a tough job to hang on, but look at Mola here!

0:24:480:24:51

Accelerating and driving!

0:24:510:24:53

Trying to re-establish the advantage

0:24:530:24:56

he had built up so well before serving that penalty.

0:24:560:25:00

He is absolutely determined that he is going to finish this race

0:25:000:25:04

in emphatic style, not just with a victory,

0:25:040:25:06

but with a real message

0:25:060:25:07

to the likes of the Brownlees and to Javier Gomez,

0:25:070:25:11

that he is in the mix come the business end of this season.

0:25:110:25:14

Now, is there just a little bit of discomfort

0:25:140:25:18

creeping into the gait and the body language of Mario Mola?

0:25:180:25:23

Just rocking and rolling a little bit from left to right,

0:25:230:25:26

and Richard Murray has come alongside...

0:25:260:25:28

Offering to share water,

0:25:280:25:30

that is really good to see that from the two men.

0:25:300:25:32

There is obviously a huge amount of respect between them.

0:25:320:25:35

Well, this would be very, very significant,

0:25:350:25:37

if Murray can get in the mix here.

0:25:370:25:39

It's almost that dead turn where they lose all their momentum,

0:25:390:25:43

and slowly and surely, Murray has reeled in Mario Mola.

0:25:430:25:48

This is the same Mario Mola who ran 13:55

0:25:480:25:52

when he finished third in Hamburg over the sprint distance,

0:25:520:25:55

but what a fascinating climax this is going to be

0:25:550:25:58

and no sooner has Murray closed than Mola senses the danger

0:25:580:26:01

and adds another couple of metres to his advantage.

0:26:010:26:04

Has he got the acceleration in these closing stages

0:26:040:26:08

to make sure it's a second successive victory

0:26:080:26:11

here in Abu Dhabi?

0:26:110:26:13

What an effort from the South African!

0:26:130:26:15

A phenomenal effort, but I'll say again,

0:26:150:26:17

it's all about a battle of the minds at this stage,

0:26:170:26:20

and, for me, Mola is looking tired,

0:26:200:26:22

he's kind of rocking all over the place.

0:26:220:26:24

You know, the arms are going, the hips are going,

0:26:240:26:26

but he is saying, "You know what, this is my spot,

0:26:260:26:29

"this is my number-one spot."

0:26:290:26:30

They were very gentleman-like there,

0:26:300:26:32

he offered him some water even going round the bend.

0:26:320:26:34

Murray let him go round first.

0:26:340:26:36

But Mola used that opportunity to pull away again.

0:26:360:26:39

Wow!

0:26:390:26:40

Well, it looked really intriguing there for 100 metres or so.

0:26:410:26:46

But now, Mola has re-established the advantage.

0:26:460:26:50

Is it possible, Annie, that maybe subconsciously,

0:26:500:26:54

Murray, in those couple of exchanges,

0:26:540:26:57

showed a bit too much respect to Mario Mola?

0:26:570:26:59

Yes, I'd say definitely.

0:26:590:27:01

He could have gone around the bend at the top there in first.

0:27:010:27:04

He could quite easily have given him a good nudge

0:27:040:27:07

and pushed through, and he didn't, it was almost like, "You go first".

0:27:070:27:10

And you never do that on a bend like that,

0:27:100:27:11

because the person who comes round first will pull away.

0:27:110:27:14

But Mola now accelerating just as he did in Chicago

0:27:140:27:19

at the end of last season, sprinting now,

0:27:190:27:22

he sensed the danger from Richard Murray

0:27:220:27:24

and for 100 metres or so, it looked as though

0:27:240:27:27

he was going to get dragged into a two-way sprint to the line.

0:27:270:27:32

But victory is going to go to this hugely talented Spaniard once again.

0:27:320:27:37

This is a course and this is a country that he is starting to like.

0:27:380:27:43

A win in Abu Dhabi over the sprint distance 12 months ago, and now

0:27:450:27:49

he can afford to relax a little and enjoy this run-in to the finish.

0:27:490:27:53

There's the fist pump and the smile.

0:27:530:27:56

Mario Mola has started 2016 as he finished 2015,

0:27:560:28:02

he has announced himself here as a genuine contender,

0:28:020:28:06

not just for the world title, but perhaps an Olympic medal as well.

0:28:060:28:11

Great second place from Richard Murray. A really brave run.

0:28:110:28:17

Coming up alongside Mario Mola on that last lap,

0:28:180:28:21

but not quite enough to beat his training partner.

0:28:210:28:26

One of the best performances we've seen from Joao Silva

0:28:260:28:29

in recent years.

0:28:290:28:30

He completes the one, two, three on the podium,

0:28:300:28:34

a warm embrace from the Spaniard.

0:28:340:28:36

And what a performance from Alarza.

0:28:360:28:39

Maybe almost guaranteeing himself a place alongside Mario Mola

0:28:390:28:43

and Javier Gomez in the Spanish team.

0:28:430:28:46

Grajales, what a great run from him

0:28:460:28:49

to go alongside his great performance

0:28:490:28:51

in the Grand Final last year.

0:28:510:28:53

Polyanskiy coming home, and just watching out there for Ryan Sissons,

0:28:530:28:58

and the reason he's celebrating, the New Zealander,

0:28:580:29:01

is that with this finish, inside the top eight,

0:29:010:29:04

he's guaranteed himself a place on the plane for Rio,

0:29:040:29:07

and you can see just what it means for him.

0:29:070:29:09

Bailie in eighth.

0:29:090:29:11

And all credit to Adam Bowden.

0:29:110:29:13

A great, great performance from him.

0:29:130:29:16

Just missing out on the top ten,

0:29:160:29:18

but that's a really good way for his season to start.

0:29:180:29:21

What an opening round this has been for the world's leading men.

0:29:210:29:25

Mario Mola wins again in Abu Dhabi.

0:29:250:29:28

A really useful runners-up spot

0:29:280:29:30

for Richard Murray in second.

0:29:300:29:32

Joao Silva completing the podium.

0:29:320:29:34

Adam Bowden just outside the top ten

0:29:340:29:36

but that's a good performance,

0:29:360:29:38

and fellow Briton Tom Bishop

0:29:380:29:40

finished 32nd in the end.

0:29:400:29:42

So you didn't know your swim cap was outside the box

0:29:430:29:45

until you saw the number up on the board

0:29:450:29:47

that you had a penalty to serve?

0:29:470:29:49

I just exited the water,

0:29:490:29:50

I took both my caps off, I saw that I only had one in my hand.

0:29:500:29:55

So I could imagine bad. Those things you don't want to know

0:29:550:29:59

until the guys around the course told me, "You have a penalty,"

0:29:590:30:03

then it's only mental,

0:30:030:30:05

and I get ready to have a break in-between the 10K.

0:30:050:30:08

Normally, that kind of performance would have got you the gold,

0:30:080:30:11

but you were up against a superhuman today, by the sound of it.

0:30:110:30:14

-Are we in Abu Dhabi?

-Yes.

-OK, good, just wanted to make sure.

0:30:140:30:18

Well, first race of the season, very happy with the performance.

0:30:180:30:22

I must admit, about 5K, I was probably almost done already.

0:30:220:30:25

So I really dug deep today,

0:30:250:30:27

and, yeah, I'm very pleased with my performance.

0:30:270:30:31

Two races in Abu Dhabi, two wins. You obviously like it here.

0:30:310:30:34

I do like it here, yeah, definitely I will come back next year.

0:30:340:30:38

It's Mario Mola on top again here in Abu Dhabi.

0:30:380:30:42

He won the Grand Final with a grand finish in Chicago last September

0:30:420:30:47

and it looks as though that form has stayed with him

0:30:470:30:50

through the winter and is flourishing into the spring.

0:30:500:30:54

Mola is a major contender for big honours in 2016.

0:30:540:30:59

What a start to his campaign for glory on World and Olympic level.

0:30:590:31:04

So, we're off and running in the 2016 World Triathlon Series.

0:31:040:31:08

One down, eight more to go,

0:31:080:31:10

and the next one is critical for the British team.

0:31:100:31:13

Yes, it's the selection race

0:31:130:31:14

for the final remaining spot in the women's team.

0:31:140:31:17

Jodie Stimpson and Helen Jenkins go head-to-head

0:31:170:31:20

on Australia's Gold Coast to see if they can do enough

0:31:200:31:23

to claim their place on the plane to Rio.

0:31:230:31:26

And in the men's event, Britain's Tom Bishop

0:31:260:31:28

and Gordon Benson will be battling it out to prove

0:31:280:31:30

they've got what it takes to carry out the support role

0:31:300:31:33

for the Brownlees in Brazil.

0:31:330:31:35

We'll have live coverage of both races in the early hours

0:31:350:31:37

of Saturday, 9 April on the red button and on the BBC Sport website.

0:31:370:31:42

Rest assured, if you can't get yourself out of bed in time,

0:31:420:31:45

we'll have highlights on BBC Two on the afternoon of Sunday, 10 April.

0:31:450:31:49

And Jonny Brownlee also expected to start his season on the Gold Coast.

0:31:490:31:54

So join us for all the drama. Until then, goodbye.

0:31:540:31:58

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