0:00:02 > 0:00:05Helen is not renowned for her sprinting.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06But she's going to have to really work hard.
0:00:06 > 0:00:08And just as we speak, Jodie goes into the lead.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Helen ties to get on to the back,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12but is this the final move from Jodie Stimpson?
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Ashleigh Gentle is still in there in third place.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20But Jodie is now trying to pull away. Helen is hanging on.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24Jodie a little glance over the shoulder. Helen reacted initially.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28Remember, she was the first one of the lead trio to make a move.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Stimpson covered it and then produced one on her own.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35And Ashleigh Gentle hasn't become completely isolated in third place.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And Helen has allowed a few metres to grow
0:00:38 > 0:00:40between her and Jodie Stimpson.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43That's giving Ashleigh Gentle room to believe that she can upgrade
0:00:43 > 0:00:47- third to second.- Yes, Helen's going to have to keep working hard.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50This is hard for her now, it's a really tough place.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52We know she's not at 100%.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54She's probably not even at 95%.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57So she's got to keep working now because otherwise she's got
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Ashleigh Gentle from Australia
0:00:59 > 0:01:01on her shoulder breathing down her neck.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04A top three position for Helen, I think she'll take that
0:01:04 > 0:01:07even though Jodie looks like she'll take the win here today.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10But the battle is really on for the third place to go to Rio.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Helen now in third place, tucked in behind Ashleigh Gentle.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20And it's Jodie Stimpson who is at the moment
0:01:20 > 0:01:25coming away from a world-class field to lay down a huge marker,
0:01:25 > 0:01:27not just in terms of confidence,
0:01:27 > 0:01:29but in terms of her credentials
0:01:29 > 0:01:33as a potential Olympic medallist in her own right.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35It's seven seconds that she's taken
0:01:35 > 0:01:39out of the Australian and her compatriot Helen Jenkins
0:01:39 > 0:01:42over the last 300 or 400 or 500 metres.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45This is a brilliant performance from Jodie Stimpson.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49She's an athlete who over the years hasn't necessarily got the respect
0:01:49 > 0:01:51that her accomplishments deserve.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54It took a few years to make her realise that she did belong
0:01:54 > 0:01:57at the higher echelons of global triathlon.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59She's a Commonwealth champion.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02She's a world championship medallist, and here she is
0:02:02 > 0:02:05trying to lay down a platform and a marker,
0:02:05 > 0:02:07trying to give herself the belief
0:02:07 > 0:02:11that she's good enough and deserves a place on the British Olympic team.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14That battle will come in the Gold Coast,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17but this is a great indication that she's got the class
0:02:17 > 0:02:20to believe she can get on that plane.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24She's left Helen Jenkins in third place here.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29Jodie Stimpson is starting 2016
0:02:29 > 0:02:32with an absolutely brilliant performance here.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Ashleigh Gentle is in second,
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Helen Jenkins a great, great run here, for third place.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40She definitely would have taken that
0:02:40 > 0:02:43before the drama began here in Abu Dhabi,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47but Jodie Stimpson will turn to her right-hand side
0:02:47 > 0:02:49and she will see no-one
0:02:49 > 0:02:52between her and the winning tape at the finish line
0:02:52 > 0:02:54here in Abu Dhabi.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58This doesn't guarantee her a place on the Olympic team,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01but it's a fantastic injection of confidence
0:03:01 > 0:03:03ahead of that huge race to come.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Jodie Stimpson, with possibly
0:03:05 > 0:03:08one of the biggest performances of her career,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11takes the win here in Abu Dhabi.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13A great, gutsy second from Ashleigh Gentle,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16dropped by the leading three or four so many times
0:03:16 > 0:03:18and she has hung on well,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21and Helen Jenkins finishes on the podium.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23So many years dogged by injury,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26but she is back to world-class form
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and what a showdown we have in prospect
0:03:29 > 0:03:31between the two Britons come the Gold Coast.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36What a victory for Jodie Stimpson,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38back on top in the World Triathlon Series,
0:03:38 > 0:03:42and what a platform, looking ahead to that all-important showdown
0:03:42 > 0:03:43against Helen on the Gold Coast.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Ashleigh Gentle, a brilliant second place for her.
0:03:46 > 0:03:47Helen is back on the podium.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Good run from Flora Duffy for fourth.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Renee Tomlin has put herself in the mix for the American team
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and, amongst others, there was no finish for Sarah True,
0:03:57 > 0:03:59for the Olympic champion Nicola Spirig
0:03:59 > 0:04:01or for Katie Zaferes.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04This winter, I can't say it could have gone any better really.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08I've been in Stellenbosch, training with Lisa, Mari and Darren,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10it's been a lot smaller group this time in Stellenbosch,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13but I think we are just very highly motivated, we all are.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16We haven't made our Olympic spots yet, any of us.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19It's really good to get on the podium after a tough year last year.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22Yeah, it shows that I'm moving in the right direction
0:04:22 > 0:04:24for our selection race in the Gold Coast.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Me and Helen, we are great rivals.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28She's an absolutely fantastic athlete
0:04:28 > 0:04:30and I have so much respect for her.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32I mean, as soon as we crossed the line, it's like,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35we can't make it any harder for them, really.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39Great Britain one and three here in Abu Dhabi.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46What a great, great way for them to tee up this duel in the sun
0:04:46 > 0:04:48in the Gold Coast next month.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Like Non, Vicky and Gwen Jorgensen,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt has decided to skip Abu Dhabi.
0:04:55 > 0:04:582015 was a great year for Andrea, one of her best to date,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01culminating in a silver medal at the World Championships.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03But in November her world was shattered
0:05:03 > 0:05:06when her coach and fiance Laurent Vidal
0:05:06 > 0:05:07died of a heart attack.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Now, Laurent was a great triathlete in his own right.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13He finished fifth in London 2012, but in 2014, while he was swimming,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15he suffered a cardiac arrest.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19He was forced to retire and focus full-time on coaching Andrea.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23He was just 31 years old when he died.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26# In the quiet hours
0:05:26 > 0:05:30# When the lights are out
0:05:30 > 0:05:35# And my mind is free to wander... #
0:05:38 > 0:05:40He was the guy that was always at every race
0:05:40 > 0:05:41and he was such a character.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45He wanted to get the best out of himself he possibly could.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Always doing his press-ups on the start line,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49would never do a swim warm-up
0:05:49 > 0:05:52and everyone else is stood there for the presentation.
0:05:52 > 0:06:00# ..And I still think of you
0:06:00 > 0:06:03# Every day
0:06:03 > 0:06:05# In a better place... #
0:06:05 > 0:06:08He was a lad athlete.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11He loved having a bit of a beer after the race and enjoying it.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Always full of advice, always full of quirky anecdotes.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Because he was Andrea's coach, he was always around the start area
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and at the finish lines and always very supportive of everyone.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24He is very French, he loved a strike and a protest.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27He was always very vocal, very passionate.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30The number of testimonies that went out from all the athletes
0:06:30 > 0:06:34just showed how well thought of and how fond everyone was of Laurent.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38It's very, very sad for the triathlon world.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45And as a tribute to Laurent,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48the number-one position on the start list this weekend
0:06:48 > 0:06:50has been left open.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Now, if you come out of Non and Vicky's house,
0:06:53 > 0:06:57take a right, a left and a right, eventually you come to Bramhope,
0:06:57 > 0:07:01which is home to another two British triathletes, the Brownlee brothers.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Now, it's fair to say 2015 was a mixed bag for Alistair and Jonny.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Some stunning victories, some bad luck
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and, almost inevitably, injuries.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Alistair came off worst, needing reconstructive surgery
0:07:12 > 0:07:15on his troublesome ankle, but the current news is good.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17They are both fit, they are training hard
0:07:17 > 0:07:20and secure in Olympic pre-selection.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Now, neither of them is in Abu Dhabi,
0:07:22 > 0:07:24they're in Tenerife instead for some altitude work,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26but we caught up with them
0:07:26 > 0:07:29for some thoughts on what early-season nerves are like.
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I always get more nervous the first race, definitely.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I think it's the fact you haven't done a triathlon
0:07:35 > 0:07:37for six months sometimes.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40You haven't felt what it is like to stand on that start line
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and also there's the side of it of the uncertainty.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45Have I trained right? Have I trained too much?
0:07:45 > 0:07:46Have I trained too little?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Has someone made a big improvement over the winter?
0:07:49 > 0:07:50How fit am I?
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Sessions can only tell you so much but racing can tell you a lot more.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56So I don't like that uncertainty side of it.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Like anything else, try to have had a good block of training into it
0:07:59 > 0:08:00and now you are fit, a few key sessions
0:08:00 > 0:08:02in the few weeks beforehand.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Triathlon has got a lot of equipment you need for it,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07so it's important to have all that ready, new stuff is tested out,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10you're not using it for the first time for the race
0:08:10 > 0:08:13and then you've just got to stand on that start line and go for it.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Sometimes I get a feeling on my start line of...
0:08:15 > 0:08:18You have spent six months doing it and I'm on the start line, thinking,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21"I could be cycling to some cafe in Yorkshire somewhere here.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23"Instead, I'm on a start line getting nervous.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24"Why? Why am I doing it?"
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Then I quickly switch back to,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29"This is what I do it for, this is what I love doing."
0:08:29 > 0:08:31But as soon as I dive in the water, I'm normally fine
0:08:31 > 0:08:33and it's all started.
0:08:33 > 0:08:34So, who is in Abu Dhabi
0:08:34 > 0:08:38experiencing what the boys have just been describing?
0:08:38 > 0:08:40Here is Annie Emmerson with the ones to watch.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45With no Brownlees or Gomez,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Mario Mola will be the one to watch today.
0:08:47 > 0:08:48He will be full of confidence
0:08:48 > 0:08:50after a breakthrough swim in Chicago,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53which saw him exit the water ahead of Gomez.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Rio is still a long way off, though, and it surprises me
0:08:55 > 0:08:58that his coach, Joel Filliol, has opted to send
0:08:58 > 0:09:01his most successful World Series athlete out to Abu Dhabi
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and start his season so early when he doesn't need to.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Mola's training partner,
0:09:07 > 0:09:08Richard Murray,
0:09:08 > 0:09:09will have to have his best swim
0:09:09 > 0:09:11if he's to make the front pack,
0:09:11 > 0:09:13but if he doesn't, the weaker swimmers will be relieved,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15as he plays an instrumental part
0:09:15 > 0:09:17in bridging gaps between the bike packs,
0:09:17 > 0:09:20but he will come into the race with a lot of self-belief
0:09:20 > 0:09:22after victory in Edmonton last year
0:09:22 > 0:09:25and a third-place finish at the Grand Final in Chicago.
0:09:25 > 0:09:282015 was Spaniard Fernando Alarza's best season to date,
0:09:28 > 0:09:30finishing fifth overall,
0:09:30 > 0:09:32but he still has to prove to the Spanish selectors
0:09:32 > 0:09:34that he deserves the third spot for Rio.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37He's been doing a fair amount of domestic racing,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40cross-country and duathlon over the off-season.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42A lot will depend on his swim,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45but Adam Bowden looks to be in great running form.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50He ran 14:09 at the Armagh 5k international earlier in the year,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53and fellow Brit Tom Bishop knows that he is being watched
0:09:53 > 0:09:55as a potential Pilot athlete for the Brownlees,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58but like Bowden, he will have to pull out the swim of his life
0:09:58 > 0:10:00to make the front bike pack.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03There's been a lot of talk from the guys on the circuit, though,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07about how strong he is, so he could be really interesting to watch.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Time for the men's race highlights.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Here is Rob and Annie once again.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16A fitting tribute here this morning in Abu Dhabi
0:10:16 > 0:10:18to the late Laurent Vidal,
0:10:18 > 0:10:21fifth in the Olympic Games back in London 2012,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23the athletes paying their own respects
0:10:23 > 0:10:26to their former Athlete Representative on the ITU,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28who tragically died last year,
0:10:28 > 0:10:32a life of passion cut far too soon, far too short.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Marisol Casado, President of the ITU,
0:10:35 > 0:10:40also placing a flower by the poignant tribute to Laurent Vidal.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44There is no number one today, that belongs to the Frenchman.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46A lot of hard yards and a lot of hard racing
0:10:46 > 0:10:47still to come this year
0:10:47 > 0:10:48and it all starts
0:10:48 > 0:10:50right here right now,
0:10:50 > 0:10:51so what sort of marker
0:10:51 > 0:10:53will Mario Mola lay down
0:10:53 > 0:10:54for the coming season?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Dorian Coninx, great Junior,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58brilliant Under-23 performer,
0:10:58 > 0:11:01yet to shine on the global Senior stage.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Aurelien Raphael will certainly be one of those
0:11:04 > 0:11:07hoping to feature at the front of the swim.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10It's the first instalment in a nine-part drama,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12which begins here in Abu Dhabi
0:11:12 > 0:11:14in glorious sunshine
0:11:14 > 0:11:18and warm, tempting seas.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20- On your marks...- Here we go, then.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23And, at last, after what seemed an eternity,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28they are in the water and on their way for this first-round race.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33No Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, no Javier Gomez,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37but all eyes on Mario Mola.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42What kind of swim will the Spaniard produce here?
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Alongside me, poised and very much looking forward to the action
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and to this race, is Annie Emmerson.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53Well, Annie, there has been so much talk about Mario Mola,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57kind of a breakthrough performance, really, in Chicago
0:11:57 > 0:11:59because he really took it to Javier Gomez
0:11:59 > 0:12:04and it wasn't just the manner in which he won that Grand Final,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07it was the fact that he gave himself such a great chance
0:12:07 > 0:12:10with such a great swim at the start.
0:12:10 > 0:12:11Yeah, you're right, Rob.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14The difference there, in Chicago, in the Grand Final,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16was that it was a wetsuit swim
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and that is definitely going to favour Mola,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20a slightly leaner and much smaller athlete.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24It's a non-wetsuit swim here today, obviously, in Abu Dhabi,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26so it's going to be perhaps a little bit harder,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28but, yeah, you are absolutely right,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30he led out the swim in front of Javier Gomez
0:12:30 > 0:12:34and that was the first time he's ever done that on the circuit.
0:12:37 > 0:12:45Schoeman and Raphael...just watching for the rest of the field.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Polyanskiy, we always expect a good swim from him.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Alessandro Fabian.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Still waiting and watching for Mario Mola.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Straight out and then back in.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Tom Bishop going well, just 14 seconds off the pace.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Alarza, 16 seconds off.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08He's hoping to close in on that last spot for the Spaniards
0:13:08 > 0:13:10as far as the Olympics are concerned.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Richard Murray, the South African, has nearly 20 seconds to make up.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16No significant break, really, Rob, I don't think.
0:13:16 > 0:13:2111:55 for that first 1,000 metres, so the pace is pretty on.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24It's not exceptional, but it's decent, that's for sure,
0:13:24 > 0:13:26but interestingly, I thought they were
0:13:26 > 0:13:27pushing the pace a little bit harder,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but the fact that we've got all that group there together,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34no break really as yet and they've only got 500 metres to go.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37And the likes of Schoeman and Raphael
0:13:37 > 0:13:40will be hoping to push home any advantage they can here,
0:13:40 > 0:13:43but interesting first lap.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46There is always such a sense of anticipation
0:13:46 > 0:13:48at the start of the Olympic year.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Of course, the World Championship is vitally important,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53it's the sport's prestige annual prize,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57but the big one hangs only once every four years.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Well, yeah, and there's a few athletes
0:13:58 > 0:14:00who are in a very privileged position,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02know already that they are going to the Games,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04but there are a lot of athletes out there
0:14:04 > 0:14:05still fighting for that spot,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07so that's why these early races
0:14:07 > 0:14:08in the World Triathlon Series
0:14:08 > 0:14:09are just so crucial.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Right, so, coming up towards the end of the swim
0:14:12 > 0:14:15and this has been good, just over 17.5 minutes.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18A little shake of the head from Schoeman.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Aurelien Raphael, great work by the South African and the Frenchman.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Knabl has had a good swim,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27so too Polyanskiy...
0:14:28 > 0:14:29..Dorian Coninx and Fabian.
0:14:31 > 0:14:3311 seconds.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36Remember, they've got 13k on this first lap on the bike.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Alarza desperately trying to impress the Spaniards
0:14:41 > 0:14:44as far as selection for the Olympics are concerned.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Tom Bishop is still within 20 seconds of the leaders.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Schoeman there, just taking his time!
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Yeah, pretty casual, there!
0:14:53 > 0:14:56I thought, "Hang on a minute! Is this a race or a training ride?"
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Do you know what, sometimes that is better.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00If you rush too much, you make mistakes.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01There's Alarza.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Seven top-eight finishes last year.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Really consistent performer.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Just watching out to see whether we get a glimpse of Mola.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11There is Richard Murray.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13We would have expected him to have a little bit of a deficit
0:15:13 > 0:15:16to claw back after the swim.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19Joao Silva just heading out onto the roads.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24So, we've got a group here now of around about ten athletes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26There is a little bit of a gap,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28so they are going to have to work exceptionally hard
0:15:28 > 0:15:30if they are going to stop that big, big group
0:15:30 > 0:15:33that has come out of the swim all together.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Very early stages, then,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40in this first round of the World Triathlon Series.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42There is Mola.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49So...not the swim that the Spanish winner of the Grand Final
0:15:49 > 0:15:51was expecting or hoping.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54He's not in a bad place, actually, here.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56He's got Blumenfeld there, from Norway,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59who is an absolutely awesome cyclist.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01We've seen him, many times, pulling groups up.
0:16:01 > 0:16:03He got a third in the European Championships.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Not known as a runner, but a very, very decent cyclist.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Interesting now, Mola on the front -
0:16:07 > 0:16:10we don't see that very often - working really hard.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12We normally see him tucked in, saving his legs for the run,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14but sensing the danger slightly
0:16:14 > 0:16:18as that front pack just starts to slightly roll away from them.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22Yes, he will want to make sure
0:16:22 > 0:16:25he gets closer and closer as the laps tick off.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30As I said, 13k on the first lap and then six circuits of 4.5k.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Helicopter just giving us an indication
0:16:34 > 0:16:38as to the gap between the lead group and the chasers.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44And Mola certainly won't be panicking at this stage,
0:16:44 > 0:16:47especially when you bear in mind how fast he is on the run.
0:16:47 > 0:16:5228:59 when he beat Javier Gomez in the Grand Final.
0:16:57 > 0:17:01So, Mola has been issued with a penalty, a rudimentary error,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05not one he'll be caring to repeat later on this season.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Equipment out of the box
0:17:08 > 0:17:11for the hugely experienced Spaniard.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Well, it's early season and everybody makes mistakes
0:17:13 > 0:17:15and it's better to make it here
0:17:15 > 0:17:18than halfway through the Olympic triathlon in Rio.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Absolutely.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23As I said, you know, I think, when you come out a little bit far back
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and you start to panic... We saw Henri Schoeman there, very chilled,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28came out with plenty of time, knew he was at the front.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31And Mola perhaps, you know, just sensing that urgency and like,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34"Oh, my goodness me, I'm sort of like at the back of the field here,"
0:17:34 > 0:17:36and then you make those mistakes.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41These 17
0:17:41 > 0:17:43will do well to stay ahead of the chase pack now.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45They need somebody to really go for it
0:17:45 > 0:17:48and you can see in that head-on shot
0:17:48 > 0:17:53that the chase group are edging closer and closer.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56And then it really would be a brave man to go off the front of...
0:17:56 > 0:17:58what, 30, 35 athletes.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02Then you've got that really cagey sequence of circuits.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Yes, and those gaps have shrunk considerably
0:18:08 > 0:18:13and we will now have a very, very large lead pack.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16So I guess, if you know you're a really good runner,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19you just sit in, let everyone else do the work
0:18:19 > 0:18:24and prepare for your first 10k off the bike.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26We have a lone cyclist off the front.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Now, my goodness me, that is certainly brave.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32We are waiting to see who that is.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35Well, it's good to see someone going for it.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38At the moment... And I can only imagine
0:18:38 > 0:18:41that it's someone that they're not really worried about...
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Ah, it's Fabian.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45Again, Alessandro Fabian from Italy.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47You know what? He's kind of...
0:18:47 > 0:18:49He's a bit of an angry man out there.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51He's saying, "You know what? We did all this work
0:18:51 > 0:18:53"and we're going to sit up and let this second pack
0:18:53 > 0:18:55"that contains Murray and Mola get the better of us,"
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and I'm really surprised they've let him go down the road there.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00But good on him for doing it.
0:19:00 > 0:19:01He's no mug.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04He was tenth in the Olympics in London.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07He was doing all the work, or a large percentage of it,
0:19:07 > 0:19:09at the front of that lead group
0:19:09 > 0:19:12and he's decided, "Listen, I know that I probably can't run
0:19:12 > 0:19:13"as quickly as Richard Murray,
0:19:13 > 0:19:15"I know that I can't run as quickly as Mola,"
0:19:15 > 0:19:18although he may not know exactly where Mola is in the race
0:19:18 > 0:19:21at the moment, and he's decided, "I want to give myself
0:19:21 > 0:19:24"the best possible chance of finishing on the podium
0:19:24 > 0:19:27"in the first race of the year leading into Rio."
0:19:27 > 0:19:28This is great to see.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Alessandro Fabian.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Hopefully those in the grandstand will applaud
0:19:37 > 0:19:40this brave ride by the Italian.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Nobody else interested in sharing the workload,
0:19:43 > 0:19:45nobody else interested in going with him
0:19:45 > 0:19:48and he's been ploughing on alone for some...
0:19:48 > 0:19:51what, 10, 12km now.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52And did so much of the work in...
0:19:52 > 0:19:56- you know, in the early bike stages, didn't he?- Yes.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59So he'll come in and have transition...
0:19:59 > 0:20:03well, for a few seconds all to himself.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05So he managed to maintain that gap.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Good end to the bike stage for Aurelien Raphael
0:20:09 > 0:20:13after going so well in the water, we would have expected that.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Watching them all come in now.
0:20:15 > 0:20:21How quickly will the likes of Richard Murray and Mario Mola
0:20:21 > 0:20:24show their running class here?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Joao Silva, only 16 seconds adrift.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Grajales, after that amazing performance at the Grand Final...
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And Tom Bishop in the top 20.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34Here's Mola.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Making sure his equipment is in the box that time.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Fernando Alarza, remember,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41he still has to impress the Spanish selectors
0:20:41 > 0:20:47and he wants to join Mola and Gomez on the team for Rio.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Alessandro Fabian there taking on some water.
0:20:50 > 0:20:51Very hot for the athletes.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53It's very humid here and sticky.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56Interesting to see how they've all spread out now.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Just a little bit, having come in as a big group.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Transition, they say, is the fourth discipline in triathlon
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and that's so true because, you know, races certainly
0:21:05 > 0:21:07have been won and lost in transition.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12Well, he's already in the process of being joined at the front,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15Alessandro Fabian.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17Great effort on the bike.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20But now it's four circuits of 2.5k.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Right now, you're not going to bet against Mola,
0:21:23 > 0:21:25that's for sure, are you?
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Yes, he's right there.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31And here he goes.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Not the ideal swim,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35fairly solid on the bike,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37he incurred the penalty.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40And now he's showing us the class
0:21:40 > 0:21:44that took him to victory in the Grand Final in Chicago.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48Remember, he ran inside 29 minutes when he beat Javier Gomez.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54And his training partner, Richard Murray, in second place.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59Ryan Bailie has had a quiet race so far, but he's a classy competitor.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03The Australian coming into the mix, but look at this from Mola!
0:22:03 > 0:22:09What a declaration of intent this is in the very early stages of this run
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and what a great run this is turning out to be from Adam Bowden.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15He is in that second chase group.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Ryan Bailie leading those guys through,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22fourth in London a few years ago, and maybe they can work together
0:22:22 > 0:22:27to close down the chase group who have Mario Mola in their sights.
0:22:27 > 0:22:31Still no massive move, though, from Richard Murray yet.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35- TANNOY:- Mario Mola! And he goes into the penalty tent!
0:22:36 > 0:22:38And now Mola serving the penalty.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41He was accelerating to give himself an opportunity.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And I guess the biggest thing that can happen here
0:22:43 > 0:22:47is an attack of cramp, but he seems OK at the moment.
0:22:47 > 0:22:49Three, two, one...
0:22:49 > 0:22:50He's off again.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52CHEERING
0:22:52 > 0:22:55I always think that is incredibly hard for the athletes
0:22:55 > 0:22:57because, you know, your heart rate is right up there,
0:22:57 > 0:22:58the adrenaline is pumping
0:22:58 > 0:23:01and you've got to stop dead in your tracks for 15 seconds,
0:23:01 > 0:23:04which is nothing, but I tell you what,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06it's an eternity when they are out there.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08And how quickly will he go past Murray?
0:23:10 > 0:23:11Wow, that's tough, isn't it?
0:23:11 > 0:23:15That's really, really tough for him to be back in that position.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17Murray looking very relaxed.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19The other athletes in front looking very relaxed.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23Mola, of course, the man with the fastest times in triathlon,
0:23:23 > 0:23:24so at the moment, I don't know
0:23:24 > 0:23:27whether that is going to be a major setback in his race,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31but perhaps just showing a little bit of discomfort on his face
0:23:31 > 0:23:34after having to sit out that 15-second penalty.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Oh, look at that!
0:23:43 > 0:23:44Sat behind them and you thought,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48"Well, OK, maybe he's going to do this for the next 2.5k
0:23:48 > 0:23:50"and save it for the final circuit."
0:23:51 > 0:23:56A really definitive piece of acceleration there from Mario Mola
0:23:56 > 0:23:58and now they are single file
0:23:58 > 0:24:00and possibly we read something into
0:24:00 > 0:24:03the fact that Silva has gone ahead of Murray.
0:24:03 > 0:24:05Murray right there, of course,
0:24:05 > 0:24:09but Silva deciding that he will be the man to try and close the gap
0:24:09 > 0:24:11and run in the shadow of Mario Mola.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18And a couple of metres just opening up between Murray and Alarza.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22Alarza veering off to his right-hand side to get himself a drink.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Good running here from Adam Bowden
0:24:26 > 0:24:28in the chase group.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Grajales once again producing a decent performance here
0:24:32 > 0:24:38after that sensational fourth-place finish in the Grand Final last year.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42And Alarza has definitely been dropped, so the Spaniard,
0:24:42 > 0:24:46courtesy of the injection of pace from his countryman Mario Mola,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48is now isolated in fourth and he is going to have
0:24:48 > 0:24:51a tough job to hang on, but look at Mola here!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53Accelerating and driving!
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Trying to re-establish the advantage
0:24:56 > 0:25:00he had built up so well before serving that penalty.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04He is absolutely determined that he is going to finish this race
0:25:04 > 0:25:06in emphatic style, not just with a victory,
0:25:06 > 0:25:07but with a real message
0:25:07 > 0:25:11to the likes of the Brownlees and to Javier Gomez,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14that he is in the mix come the business end of this season.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18Now, is there just a little bit of discomfort
0:25:18 > 0:25:23creeping into the gait and the body language of Mario Mola?
0:25:23 > 0:25:26Just rocking and rolling a little bit from left to right,
0:25:26 > 0:25:28and Richard Murray has come alongside...
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Offering to share water,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32that is really good to see that from the two men.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35There is obviously a huge amount of respect between them.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Well, this would be very, very significant,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39if Murray can get in the mix here.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43It's almost that dead turn where they lose all their momentum,
0:25:43 > 0:25:48and slowly and surely, Murray has reeled in Mario Mola.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52This is the same Mario Mola who ran 13:55
0:25:52 > 0:25:55when he finished third in Hamburg over the sprint distance,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58but what a fascinating climax this is going to be
0:25:58 > 0:26:01and no sooner has Murray closed than Mola senses the danger
0:26:01 > 0:26:04and adds another couple of metres to his advantage.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Has he got the acceleration in these closing stages
0:26:08 > 0:26:11to make sure it's a second successive victory
0:26:11 > 0:26:13here in Abu Dhabi?
0:26:13 > 0:26:15What an effort from the South African!
0:26:15 > 0:26:17A phenomenal effort, but I'll say again,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20it's all about a battle of the minds at this stage,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22and, for me, Mola is looking tired,
0:26:22 > 0:26:24he's kind of rocking all over the place.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26You know, the arms are going, the hips are going,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29but he is saying, "You know what, this is my spot,
0:26:29 > 0:26:30"this is my number-one spot."
0:26:30 > 0:26:32They were very gentleman-like there,
0:26:32 > 0:26:34he offered him some water even going round the bend.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Murray let him go round first.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39But Mola used that opportunity to pull away again.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40Wow!
0:26:41 > 0:26:46Well, it looked really intriguing there for 100 metres or so.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50But now, Mola has re-established the advantage.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54Is it possible, Annie, that maybe subconsciously,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Murray, in those couple of exchanges,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59showed a bit too much respect to Mario Mola?
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Yes, I'd say definitely.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04He could have gone around the bend at the top there in first.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07He could quite easily have given him a good nudge
0:27:07 > 0:27:10and pushed through, and he didn't, it was almost like, "You go first".
0:27:10 > 0:27:11And you never do that on a bend like that,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14because the person who comes round first will pull away.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19But Mola now accelerating just as he did in Chicago
0:27:19 > 0:27:22at the end of last season, sprinting now,
0:27:22 > 0:27:24he sensed the danger from Richard Murray
0:27:24 > 0:27:27and for 100 metres or so, it looked as though
0:27:27 > 0:27:32he was going to get dragged into a two-way sprint to the line.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37But victory is going to go to this hugely talented Spaniard once again.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43This is a course and this is a country that he is starting to like.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49A win in Abu Dhabi over the sprint distance 12 months ago, and now
0:27:49 > 0:27:53he can afford to relax a little and enjoy this run-in to the finish.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56There's the fist pump and the smile.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02Mario Mola has started 2016 as he finished 2015,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06he has announced himself here as a genuine contender,
0:28:06 > 0:28:11not just for the world title, but perhaps an Olympic medal as well.
0:28:11 > 0:28:17Great second place from Richard Murray. A really brave run.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Coming up alongside Mario Mola on that last lap,
0:28:21 > 0:28:26but not quite enough to beat his training partner.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29One of the best performances we've seen from Joao Silva
0:28:29 > 0:28:30in recent years.
0:28:30 > 0:28:34He completes the one, two, three on the podium,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36a warm embrace from the Spaniard.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39And what a performance from Alarza.
0:28:39 > 0:28:43Maybe almost guaranteeing himself a place alongside Mario Mola
0:28:43 > 0:28:46and Javier Gomez in the Spanish team.
0:28:46 > 0:28:49Grajales, what a great run from him
0:28:49 > 0:28:51to go alongside his great performance
0:28:51 > 0:28:53in the Grand Final last year.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58Polyanskiy coming home, and just watching out there for Ryan Sissons,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01and the reason he's celebrating, the New Zealander,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04is that with this finish, inside the top eight,
0:29:04 > 0:29:07he's guaranteed himself a place on the plane for Rio,
0:29:07 > 0:29:09and you can see just what it means for him.
0:29:09 > 0:29:11Bailie in eighth.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13And all credit to Adam Bowden.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16A great, great performance from him.
0:29:16 > 0:29:18Just missing out on the top ten,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21but that's a really good way for his season to start.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25What an opening round this has been for the world's leading men.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28Mario Mola wins again in Abu Dhabi.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30A really useful runners-up spot
0:29:30 > 0:29:32for Richard Murray in second.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34Joao Silva completing the podium.
0:29:34 > 0:29:36Adam Bowden just outside the top ten
0:29:36 > 0:29:38but that's a good performance,
0:29:38 > 0:29:40and fellow Briton Tom Bishop
0:29:40 > 0:29:42finished 32nd in the end.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45So you didn't know your swim cap was outside the box
0:29:45 > 0:29:47until you saw the number up on the board
0:29:47 > 0:29:49that you had a penalty to serve?
0:29:49 > 0:29:50I just exited the water,
0:29:50 > 0:29:55I took both my caps off, I saw that I only had one in my hand.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59So I could imagine bad. Those things you don't want to know
0:29:59 > 0:30:03until the guys around the course told me, "You have a penalty,"
0:30:03 > 0:30:05then it's only mental,
0:30:05 > 0:30:08and I get ready to have a break in-between the 10K.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Normally, that kind of performance would have got you the gold,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14but you were up against a superhuman today, by the sound of it.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18- Are we in Abu Dhabi?- Yes. - OK, good, just wanted to make sure.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Well, first race of the season, very happy with the performance.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25I must admit, about 5K, I was probably almost done already.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27So I really dug deep today,
0:30:27 > 0:30:31and, yeah, I'm very pleased with my performance.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34Two races in Abu Dhabi, two wins. You obviously like it here.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38I do like it here, yeah, definitely I will come back next year.
0:30:38 > 0:30:42It's Mario Mola on top again here in Abu Dhabi.
0:30:42 > 0:30:47He won the Grand Final with a grand finish in Chicago last September
0:30:47 > 0:30:50and it looks as though that form has stayed with him
0:30:50 > 0:30:54through the winter and is flourishing into the spring.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59Mola is a major contender for big honours in 2016.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04What a start to his campaign for glory on World and Olympic level.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08So, we're off and running in the 2016 World Triathlon Series.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10One down, eight more to go,
0:31:10 > 0:31:13and the next one is critical for the British team.
0:31:13 > 0:31:14Yes, it's the selection race
0:31:14 > 0:31:17for the final remaining spot in the women's team.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20Jodie Stimpson and Helen Jenkins go head-to-head
0:31:20 > 0:31:23on Australia's Gold Coast to see if they can do enough
0:31:23 > 0:31:26to claim their place on the plane to Rio.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28And in the men's event, Britain's Tom Bishop
0:31:28 > 0:31:30and Gordon Benson will be battling it out to prove
0:31:30 > 0:31:33they've got what it takes to carry out the support role
0:31:33 > 0:31:35for the Brownlees in Brazil.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37We'll have live coverage of both races in the early hours
0:31:37 > 0:31:42of Saturday, 9 April on the red button and on the BBC Sport website.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Rest assured, if you can't get yourself out of bed in time,
0:31:45 > 0:31:49we'll have highlights on BBC Two on the afternoon of Sunday, 10 April.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54And Jonny Brownlee also expected to start his season on the Gold Coast.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58So join us for all the drama. Until then, goodbye.