Gold Coast Highlights Triathlon: World Series

The 2017 World Triathlon Series. It gets under way. They are racing.

Leading the charge here... Stimpson. Tom Bishop moves within arms length

of Gomez. What a fightback! What a win for Gomez! What a day for

Bishop! British triathlon has a new start to celebrate.

What a start to the triathlon series. Good morning and welcome to

sunny Salford for the second round of the world Triathlon Series. Over

in Gold Coast in Australia, the best triathletes in the world have been

competing in the first sprint race of the 20 17th series. We will have

the highlights of the men's and women's races. We are joined by one

of the best ever triathletes from Great Britain.

Jenkins, cruising home now. The smile is broad. What a win for her.

Very warm welcome to Helen Jenkins. Lovely to have you here. You are not

in Gold Coast for an exciting reason. I am nearly 24 weeks

pregnant. I would not be very fast! Congratulations. There are so many

top female triathletes at the moment who have chosen this year. There are

about six from Rio who are pregnant. Gold and silver as well. I am in

good company! How does it affect your training? I call it more

exercise than training. I am still swimming, biking and running. I find

it hard, going to the back of the line and missing reps. My

competitive edge wants to kick in. You have to let your body do what it

is going to do and relax. It is incredibly early days but looking

ahead, what are your thoughts? I would love to come back to compete

in triathlon. I do not want to push myself to have to get back to LA and

risk injury. Especially when I watch the races, I want to get back into

it at some point -- too early. Welcome to our resident pundit. It

is a funny year. It is a bit different after the Olympics. Some

people taking time out. We have the Commonwealth Games selection this

year. For some athletes, it is straight back in with no rest. Round

one, very exciting. Javier Gomez came back. Great to watch.

Fantastic. A lot of us doubted whether he would come back after

missing out on Rio and crashing. But he came back in absolute amazing

condition. It was really fantastic to see. That athletes missed him not

being around last year. Watching the sprint finish in the women's race,

so exciting. It really was. I thought she had it in the bag. She

had a ten metre gap, Juri. Andrea came from nowhere. What a sprint

finish. Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this weekend's racing

in Gold Coast, let us have a look at the World Triathlon Series wall

planner. It started last month in Abu Dhabi. Javier Gomez and Andrea

Hewitt were our winners. Now it is on to the Gold Coast a test event

for next year's Commonwealth Games. Then it is onto one of the World

Series regulars, Yokohama, on the 14th of May. Then they make a

welcome return to these shores in Leeds. That will be live on BBC Two

on the 11th of June. Then to Germany for the animal triathlon Festival in

Hamburg. Then -- annual. A flying visit to can -- to Canada for two

races in July and August. The penultimate stop of the year is in

Stockholm on the 26th of August. We end with this year's grand final in

the Dutch city of Rotterdam on the 16th of September. That is all to

look forward to. Let us look at the women's race. Andrea Hewitt, you

have raced against her, she beat you in 2011. The last time she was on

top of the podium in the World Championship series. I have been

racing her for years. It was great to see her back on top in Abu Dhabi.

She looked really strong. I am sure she will be looking to carry that

form on. A bad race a week ago. She did in the World Cup at new

Plymouth. It was incredibly cold. She is such a seasoned pro, she will

not be on the start line if she does not think she is 100% fit. I think

we can put New Plymouth to one side and focus on Abu Dhabi because I

expect to see maybe not the same performance but something similar in

the Gold Coast. Important for the Australians particularly, this race.

It certainly is. Top ten, whoever finishes first, they will qualify

for the Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games will be held on

the Gold Coast so they will be racing on the same course. Practice

run. Alan, you have raced with them, against them, who are you looking

out for? -- Helen. Ashleigh Gentle, and Charlotte McShane and Gillian

Backhouse. They are the top three contenders. There is only one Briton

competing and it is the Commonwealth champion. She will be looking to

defend her title that she would won in 2014. Jodie Stimpson, into the

water. She is back into her stride. The last few metres. She is getting

quicker. Over the last 20 metres... Jodie Stimpson. She wins the first

gold of the Games. Just under a year to go until the start of the

Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast. The schedule has been

announced and the men's and women's triathlons will be taking place on

the 5th of April with the mixed relay on the 7th of April along with

the wheelchair triathlon. With the Commonwealth Games, it means people

within the pack will have different priorities. They certainly will do.

The New Zealanders, the Australians, they will be looking for

qualification this year. Then there is the world champion series, the

athletes who did not race so well last year wanting to make amends. It

is a big year for different reasons. Let us talk about Jodie, she has had

a great start, what have you noticed? She has started a new

coaching setup this year. She seems really confident and happy. She was

surprised to do so well in Abu Dhabi after winter training. After

speaking to her and the coach, her focus is Rotterdam and Hamburg. We

know she has been out training ahead of the race on the Gold Coast. How

will she approached the conditions? She has been there for a couple of

weeks. She will be well acclimatise. I think she probably wants to take a

good look at the course and get a feel for it. She raced there last

year which did not go down so well. It is gaining whatever experience

you can to be ready for next year. We cannot pass by without saying

fantastic race from you last year. Probably the best race of my career.

I will always have fond memories of that race. Exciting to have been

there and done it. It made me confident in my ability again. What

were the Australians like, the crowd? Fantastic. They really know

triathlon and appreciate it. I imagine at the Commonwealth Games

they will get really big crowds. You make the breakaway with Andrea

Hewitt and Flora Duffy. Today could be different because it is sprint

rather than Olympic. They have half the distance so it is harder to make

an impact on the bike but it will be fast and furious and a competitive

field. Let us see how the race plays out. I will hand you over to Rob

Walker who will be joined by Annie and Helen.

COMMENTATOR: Welcome to the Gold Coast for what welcomes to be a fast

and furious second round. -- what promises to be. A great dress

rehearsal for the Commonwealth Games which at this time next year will be

in full swing right here in Queensland. 750 metre swim and a

slightly different bike course from the one the women very much enjoyed

12 months ago. A little straighter, four circuits of five kilometres.

Not quite as hilly. Then they will be heading back and contemplating

two circuits of 2.5 kilometres on the run instead of the ten

kilometres on the full Olympic distance. A really good field

assembled here on the Gold Coast. I wonder how confident Andrea Hewitt

will be. She is wearing number one because that was her finishing

position in Abu Dhabi. Jodie Stimpson wearing two. Separated by

the tiniest of margins. Will it be the same to date?

Great run by Ai Ueda. Jodie Williams swim cap number two, Andrea Hewitt

with number one courtesy of their finishing positions last month in

Abu Dhabi. On your marks... The Gold Coast is under way in blustery

conditions. It is a short, sharp sprint. Will that give Jodie

Stimpson an even better chance of finishing on top here and reversing

the 1-2 from Abu Dhabi last month? A fascinating race in prospect. In a

part of the world is very knowledgeable and very passionate

about the triathlon. Slightly smaller field than what we would

usually see, with 46 athletes on the start line. The number 47 is there

but the number 13 is not in the race. The stronger swimmers, who are

we looking at? The Americans will always be there. Claudia Rivas from

Mexico. The swim could be crucial in that sprint races, especially with

the smaller field. Sometimes a few more gaps and not everyone gets on.

The swim will be crucial for Jodie. She needs to get in the front pack.

I guess surely if the swim is half the distance but we saw in Abu

Dhabi, there is half the length of time for her to get behind?

Absolutely. That is why we will probably see less breaks because it

is shorter and you tend to see the athletes losing more time on the

second lap when it is two times by 750. That is true. There is less

time to lose distance. I know Jodie has been working on her swim, work

in progress, she says that herself, but it is coming up and she wants to

develop a great all-round athlete and she is well on the way. Carolyn,

an American athlete on her feet, we cannot see which one. Some really

strong Americans racing today. We are missing... Zaferes will be the

one to watch. She did not have a great start in Abu Dhabi. She

finished seventh. She went on to get a first-place finish in new Plymouth

in the World Cup race. Doing what she does best, leading the swim,

Carolyn ETA. Carolina Routier. She won as a senior and under 23. Going

really well in third, Jeffcoat. The time flies. Just under three minutes

of swimming to go. This little pack has made a bit of a gap. What is

crucial now is not that they have a gap on the swim, but it is how they

operate out of the water and how quickly they get together to work as

a team on the bike. If there is a small group, they need to get away

straightaway. In the sprint distance, not enough time to take

your time. They will have to work well as a team straightaway. So

difficult to get any kind of decent gap on a sprint race. You normally

see it when you come through and died back in. Over 750 metres we

will not see that, it will be around ten minutes. A bit under. So

Carolina Routier a followed by Summer Cook, closely matched, as

they were in Abu Dhabi last month. It is now single file. Carolina

Routier is so powerful in the water. Engaged to Mario Mola. The super

couple of Spanish triathlon. So the first of three, nicely done thereby

Carolina Routier, then comes Summer Cook. The Americans going well here.

Sarah True right up there along with Emma Jeffcoat, remember she is 23

and if she is in the top ten she has a great chance of being selected for

the Commonwealth Games. Still watching for Jodie, and there she

is. So she is not too far adrift, but she does need to get out quickly

on that bike, but remember, we saw her bike superbly in Abu Dhabi to

close the gap and drag the second group back to the leaders. She will

need to do so again because she and Andrea Hewitt are almost half a

minute adrift. They are there together which is ideal for them.

They are probably two of the strongest riders so it works well if

they are together. They are not far down, they are in the main pack,

about 30 seconds. Also at the front of the pack there is not a massive

amount of experience with Summer Cook and Emma Jeffcoat. It is Emma

-- Emma Jeffcoat's debut. Carolina Routier from Spain obviously a very

experienced world triathlon series athlete but her best part of the

races the swim. Carolina Kostner strength is her swim and it will be

interesting to see if her bike improves because she has been

working on it. This is crucial, you have someone up the road so everyone

has to go hard and aligned to catch the person up front so the person

upfront is riding really had and it makes the people behind have to work

that much harder. It is tough, when you come out of the swim, however

much you have trained for it, when you get on the bike you are always

blowing. No, it never feels comfortable, really do you get on

the bike and feel good. You just have to go for it and push on

because everyone else will be feeling the same. It is probably

worse in the early-season races. As you get more race fit towards the

end of the season you get used to it. This is the point where the

athletes really need to commit because there is a decent break

there now, isn't there? Yes, and these girls on the front need to

start working together and the girls behind need to work together within

their group if they want to catch up. I guess the fact that you are

missing this year to have a baby and Jorgensen is out having a baby, do

you think the up-and-coming athletes and maybe one or two of the

Americans think there are some big gaps from the normal rivals they

have been competing against and that this year is a huge opportunity? I

think so, and I think post-Olympic year it is always the same, you get

maybe a bit Malala when people go in a different direction, have babies,

try long course racing, people going different directions, so it starts

building up again the two years before an Olympics, but if you are a

Commonwealth Games athlete you don't get that chance, you are in

selection again this year, but for the Americans it is a bit different.

And that will make an interesting dynamic next year as well. For the

athletes selected to represent their nations in the Commonwealth Games,

they got to peak in -- they have got to peak in April and again later in

the summer for the rest of the season and the grand final. So, a

huge group coming together here after the first of four circuits on

the bike. And good news for Great Britain, Jodie Stimpson has closed

the gap. It was 27 seconds when she exited the water, and she made very

short work of that deficit. She is bossing the cycle at the beginning

of the second lap, Carolina Routier has lost a few seconds, the swimmer,

we have expected that. A lot to watch out for, Summer Cook has

drifted a few seconds off the back of the leaders, but remember, top

ten for any Australian, if they are the first Australian to cross the

line, guaranteed to return for the Commonwealth Games and top six, the

same scenario applies from any athlete from New Zealand, so huge

opportunity here not just to win the race but to guarantee you are coming

back on home turf or from the Kiwi perspective close to home. A notable

absence coming through on the first lap on the bike was Andrea Hewitt.

It's a bit of a shame, she came out of the water with Jodie Stimpson but

I didn't see her on the graphics and I haven't seen her go through at the

moment. It looks like Andrea Hewitt, the Abu Dhabi winner, hasn't made it

back. Quite a big group there, about 26 athletes in the front pack, then

a big gap, 23 seconds to the second chasing pack. If she is in that

second group, and you are right, we didn't see her... There she is. So,

23 seconds. That is going to be tough. She will be going for it, she

just wants to get back to the front pack because she wants to be the

first Australian. With her run she has a brilliant chance of that but

she needs to make of the 23 seconds and get back to front. And she can't

do it all on her own, can she? No, she will need help but she will

really commit to it. Ideally you are on the front for ten

seconds then change, that's how you keep the real momentum and pace up

in the bike pack. You see it well in the men's race when you have the

Brownlee Brothers racing because they are well drilled. If you are

not taking a turn you will be shouted at and told in no uncertain

terms to get to the front. I love that. When Alistair plays shop

steward, you take your turn. When a double Olympic champion says, I

haven't seen you at the front, you go, sorry sir, I'll do my bit. It is

hard to get a group motivated. Do I waste my energy shouting and trying

to get people going through or just sit there? Most of the time you end

up kind of sitting there. We just saw the name Andrea Hewitt flashing

through there, 11 seconds adrift, so she along with the chase group is

closing. Just going back to talking about Jodie, you got the feeling

when she was beginning to produce good performances, as though she

almost felt she didn't belong at the top, and maybe she has got over that

now and she does believe she is genuinely world-class. I have been

racing Jodie since we were about 13. She has been racing for years. I

always love to see her when we are racing because she is such a tough

competitor. This year, after getting over the disappointment of missing

the Olympics last year, she will be aiming for selection but she has to

be thinking, I want to be world champion this year. She has an

amazing chance with the start in Abu Dhabi because she is very consistent

through the year, she rarely gets injured. Last year was a blip for

her towards the end of the year so she has such a good chance of

putting her mark on this year. So, a big group now. One lap to go on the

bike. Again, Jodie is in a great position, keep near the front, out

of trouble. She is nearly always one of the first of the bike, she is

very good at being at the front of the transition and her transitions

are very fast. She has worked on them from such a young age, she used

to do them with her eyes closed as practice. A nudge of the elbow,

Rebecca Spence asking someone to come through but at this stage in

the race all the main contenders are in this front pack, so there is not

necessarily much point in working hard in this next five K, it is all

about staying out of trouble, not getting caught up in any mishaps

than just thinking and starting to prepare yourself mentally for the

rant. At this time in the race you want to be moving forward. You can

see the front end of the pack swelling as their shoes off ready,

it is who will take them off early, when you move up, this is a crucial

moment of the race, this is when a lot of crashes can happen as well so

you need to keep your wits about you, which is why some people do

hang back. Jodie, bearing that in mind, is in a perfect position, in

the centre of your picture there in third place, making sure she is out

of trouble, heading towards transition, trying to get herself in

the right position to strike here. Maybe get one two seconds advantage

over those who had towards the back of this very large lead group. All

the main protagonists are there. They have come together over the

course of the four circuits on the bike. It is almost inevitable. It

wasn't really a co-ordinated attack from those who came in at the front

of the swim. Gillian got herself to the front well there. Good

transition from Gillian Backhouse at the moment, remembered top ten for

the Australians, Andrea Hewitt, the first time we have seen her

close-up. We are waiting to see Jodie Stimpson heading out. And now

we turn our thoughts and attention to this five K run in the sun. A

massive lead group here. Yes, slightly slower transition for Jodie

Stimpson, she came out in around tenth position. Gillian Backhouse

getting out very quickly. Andrea Hewitt already going to the front.

You can see Andrea's class. At the crucial moment there she is at the

front and comes out of transition second. That is years of experience

showing through. Ashleigh Gentle is the leading Australian athlete now

in fourth position, just tucked in behind the two Japanese athletes.

Ashleigh Gentle the lead Australian athlete. Katie 's appearance from

America, Jodie Stimpson now just running through the field. Our first

glimpse of Jodie on the run. If she closes the gap she can join that

group of five or six and join the leaders. This is a great run so far

from Andrea Hewitt. The two Japanese athletes going really well. And Juri

Ide, she was fifth in the Olympics back in Beijing, that's how long she

has been performing at the higher end of the female triathlon world.

Good to see her coming back to a bit of form, but Hewitt is really going

for this, she wants to make certain not only of her second successive

win early on in this season of world triathlon series racing but also, it

would guarantee her a place in the Commonwealth Games next year.

Ashleigh Gentle will get stronger throughout the run as well, she

normally does, she's good at the back end of a race, you can already

see him moving forward but Andrea has established a good pace to start

with, that is a good first kilometre and a half but they will be pushing

on from behind as well. I think that is Jodie coming up. Yes, I was

wondering that, she has a distinctive style and if that is

her, she is just adrift of a group of five or six athletes, but it is

Andrea Hewitt from Ashleigh Gentle, and the veteran Juri Ide, Asian

games silver-medallist four years ago. She is going really well here

in third place. Not too many people would expect that. She was 2015 Abu

Dhabi, 34th in the London Olympic Games -- 25th in Abu Dhabi. She is

going very well at the moment. But so is Andrea Hewitt.

35 years of age. World under 23 champion in 2005. So more than a

decade of dominance, and what a the season it is turning out to be for

Hewitt, and what a good run this could be from Ashleigh Gentle. Can

she keep this going and deny the likes of Charlotte McShane that

automatic spot for next year? At the moment you can save the sport

is going to Ashleigh Gentle because there is a sizeable gap between

Ashleigh Gentle and the Japanese athlete and Andrea Hewitt in front.

A little luck -- look to see what the gap is. She is probably

Australia's most consistent woman over the past few years, Ashleigh

Gentle. It is great to see her, if she gets her selection today, it

would be really well reserved ollie deserved. She has to keep pushing on

the second lap, keep in a good position -- really well-deserved.

Impressive lead. We did not see her on the bike coverage at all. When

the seven seconds adrift at the end of the swim, the same as Jodie.

Jodie got back up on the lead pack quickly. It took Andrea Hewitt a bit

longer but it seems as though, from what we are seeing here with 2.5 K

to go on the run, as though the New Zealander has timed her race

perfectly. You have to know the day you are going to push and you have

to know the day you are going to sit in and unleashed the run. It is

knowing the day and being an experienced athlete really helped

that. The man on the PA town I is saying, come on, let us get behind

the Australians. -- tannoy. Jodie Stimpson, she has managed to get

herself onto that little group. The other Japanese athletes there. So

too Charlotte McShane. Still in a good position here to come home with

a decent performance here in the Gold Coast. Remember, it is your

best five performances across the World Triathlon Series, plus the

grand final, and Jodie just needs if she can to close the five metres

down on Ai Ueda. Jodie not looking comfortable, quite a lot of pain

showing on her face. She has been on the Gold Coast for a couple of weeks

so she should be well acclimatised. Some days, it is not just your day.

You just have to roll with those days and get the best out of

yourself. Like I said, if she is still just coming out of the winter

training, the sprint distance will not be ideal at this time of year.

Later on, by the time we get to Hamburg, she will be sharp and ready

to hit the sprint. Just over a mile to go and eight seconds. Pretty

tough. In the last stages of the race. Actually, if you are Ashleigh

Gentle, you are starting to think, I want to make absolutely certain I am

the first Australian home because as we have said a few times, that is

such a big prize. Look at the size of gap they have got back to the

athletes in the chase group for fourth, fifth and sixth. We are

hoping Jodie Stimpson is still there. It shows you how impressive

the run has been from the three athletes out front, from Hewitt,

fantastic performance on the last discipline, but also Gentle and Juri

Ide, they have been running fantastically to get so far ahead of

the chase group. I think the gap is growing by the looks of things. The

three have put a big gap behind. It is not a bad performance from Jodie.

It is just where she is on this day. She is still running strong but

these three have just had a phenomenal run. She is just judging

by that angle still just a couple of metres adrift of that chase group.

And now a couple of metres has become maybe 20. She just cannot

quite get on. What you does not want is the pack behind to catch up. At

the moment, she is one inside a top ten finish. Little stumble between

Zaferes and Charlotte McShane. Charlotte McShane perhaps realising

that barring an attack of cramp, it will be Gentle who gets the

automatic spot. One of the five women is going to come home in

fourth which is a great scoring run come the end of the year. It is

going to be a good sprint between these five. Who will get the line

first? Juri -- Ai Ueda, maybe trying to get away from any potential fast

finishers. Andrea Hewitt, less than one kilometre away from back-to-back

World Triathlon Series victory is. She could not have wished for a

better spot to the year. No wins since 2011, and then she knocks out

two wins. Barring any mishaps which are not going to happen, she is

going to come across the line in first place. For triathlon fans in

New Zealand and around the world, it is great to see. 35 years of age, it

is great to see. She is as good as she has ever been, if not better.

Triathlon is massive in New Zealand, one of their big sports. She will

have so much support behind her, especially moving towards the

Commonwealth Games. She is in a great position moving forward over

the next year. She is just pulling away. Especially when you think she

is 35, even though she is still performing really well, it would be

stretching it perhaps to think she would still compete in Tokyo. So

maybe if she decided to call it quits, Commonwealth title in 12

months' time, close to home, it could be a nice way to bow out. A

lot of ifs and buts between now and then. If she gets a Commonwealth

title, she will not not go to Tokyo. I have a think about age, as long as

you remain injury free, there is no reason why you cannot carry on and

be as good as ever. That is normally the injuries that hamper the

athletes as they get older. Triathlon is a funny sport. You have

girls coming in just out of Junior is almost on the podium. You have

girls later run in the 30s doing well. There is such a big danger --

big age range. Everyone on the podium in Rio was 30 or older.

Definitely a lot of time for everyone. A quick update on Jodie

Stimpson, where she was 20 metres behind the big chase group, she now

finds herself in another pack behind that. It is turning out to be a

tough day for Jodie. But as for Andrea Hewitt, what a performance

here. Her season started with a bang in Abu Dhabi. A brilliant sprint

finish, outdid Jodie Stimpson, but this has been an even more

impressive performance, you could argue. She took her time on the bike

and she has timed her drive for victory here to perfection. What a

good finish for Ashleigh Gentle. Gentle making certain that she will

be the Australian to qualify for the Commonwealth Games from this race on

home territory. But Andrea Hewitt, still moving away from the

Australian in second. A little glance over her shoulder. But she is

home and dry here. Another fabulous performance from a woman who is

hugely popular on the triathlon circuit. No wins for six years. Two

in the space of a month. Andrea Hewitt does it again here and she

can afford to ease down at the line. She takes the win, Hewitt. It looks

like another emotional victory for her. Gentle comes home for second.

She will be returning for Australia for the Commonwealth Games next

year. What a brilliant run from Juri Ide. The American wins the battle

for fourth, Zaferes. Her chances of making the Commonwealth Games team

ever more possible. Gillian Saunders from South Africa coming across the

line, we do not often see her in the top ten. Jodie Stimpson now just

crossing the line inside 59 minutes. That was a tough day for Jodie who

lost a little bit of ground on the run, especially on the second

circuit. But she still got plenty to work for and plenty to be positive

for from this season after that great run a month ago. It was just

not meant to be quite as good today from the Britain. A tough day for

Jodie. She probably will not be happy with that, she has high

standards. I think she has to look at the big picture. She is not in a

bad position moving forward. Great start to the year. She has got to

move on for the next race. Great to see Ashleigh Gentle coming second.

Home crowd for her, she is from the Gold Coast. Really happy for her.

Confirmation, it is to out of two for Andrea Hewitt, the perfect start

to the season. Ashleigh Gentle will be delighted with the second place.

She will be back for the Commonwealth Games next year. Juri

man-fourty-macro back on the podium. Jodie Stimpson on this occasion down

in 16th. -- Juri Ide. Katie Zaferes moves up to second place overall.

Jodie Stimpson still in the mix. Down here with a translator, could

you ask her, her first podium for three years, how thrilled a she and

what made the difference today? -- how thrilled is she? I am glad, I am

happy. There is a bit of English there! Ladies and gentlemen, Angela

Hewitt! How much did the confidence in Abu Dhabi contribute to your win

today? I knew the running was good. You never know how the race is going

to go. I ran at my pace and it was good enough. I am happy. We heard

Javier Gomez say in the men that race he is fearful of the

youngsters. You are 35. It does not seem to bother you. Last week was my

birthday. Age is just a number. It is all down to training and today,

the swim and bike was not up there, but I had the legs on the run. Was

it always the plan to go hard right at the start of the run? You left

them for dead inside the first kilometre. I ran at Plymouth and I

knew Ai Ueda went out fast. I was expecting her to run with me but I

was by myself today. What a thrill for you, Ashleigh, securing your,

what games qualification a year out. It feels really good. After Rio, I

wanted to turn up at a race and perform and I did that today and I

am really happy. What was your view of your swim and bike? Everyone came

together on the bike and it effectively became a foot race

pretty much consumer it is a sprint race, so fast from the get go. --

pretty much? I have not had much confidence in it before. I was happy

to take what the swim was and get on the bike and work hard. And once it

came down to run race, I wanted to go out hard and see if I could hold.

Were you surprised how quickly and rare went off? -- how quickly Andrea

Hewitt went off? Not really. She has been one of my idols. I am really

happy for her to secure another victory. Clearly delighted Ashleigh

Gentle talking about her hero as well Andrea Hewitt, great race for

her. Great race for Ashleigh Gentle and she worked hard on the bike to

get back into contention. We have seen her do that in previous races.

If her swim improves a little bit, she is in contention. What a

fantastic win from Andrea Hewitt. Form of her life. She is such a

great consistent athlete. Two in a row. Fantastic. Amazing. Not many

people have done back-to-back. Again one of the older athletes, Ide. She

has had a year or two of not being on the podium, good comeback. She

will be looking forward to Tokyo in 2020, all of the Japanese will.

Jodie Stimpson. Not a great race for her. Where did it start going wrong?

A little bit down on the swim. Just over 20 seconds but it is only a

sprint difference, 750 metres, so disappointing to start. They got

back on pretty quickly. For me, she has a very quick transition

normally, but going out onto their run, she was a bit slow, she did not

look like herself. I just think it is one of those things. Some days it

is not your day. We should not look into it too much. That can just

happen to anybody, something can go wrong? Some days you just have a bad

day and you are a bit empty. It is unfortunate in Australia when you

have travelled so far. I know Jodie's focus is later in the year

for the series finale in Hamburg. Lots more races to go. Just one more

race before the World Series hits Leeds.

63 days to go until World Triathlon Leads and tickets have gone on sale

this week. To experience what promises to be a cracking atmosphere

head to the website. Helen, you were not racing last year but were part

of the crowd, what was it like? The atmosphere was incredible. I have

experienced a different crowds but the British crowd loved the track. I

really wanted to be out there racing. Before we get onto the men's

race it is time to hear more from Tom Fordyce's interview with double

Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee. In April 22 he is due to compete in

his first middle-distance racing Gran Canaria but is also competing

in Leeds and hasn't ruled out trying again for another gold in Tokyo in

2020. He is busy. I've got a few goals. Will this fill

the hole, Alistair? To the man in the street, triathlon is about the

Olympic Games and to a lesser extent the World Series. That is definitely

not what I do, I have never done triathlon for that. The real

question is, does it fill the hole for my competitiveness and trying to

achieve things I perceive that are important and worthwhile achieving?

How much will training change on a day-to-day basis, will you get to a

situation where you stop in the Dales for tea cakes, Johnny sits

parent has teacakes and you have to do an extra hour? I don't expect my

training to change massively. Most of it will be the same. I will just

look to more specific things, the bike especially, steady-state effort

on a time trial bike, and Johnny will carry on doing what he does. So

far I have been doing efforts on a time trial bike and he has been on a

road bike up mountains. We have managed to combine the two and be

predictably very competitive. The obvious one to ask is injuries. When

you have the idea of doing the 10,000 metres in the Commonwealth

Games, it was that that stopped you -- when you had the idea. Injuries

are definitely a big worry and something I will have to balance and

work with. Coming through last year and having my ankle reconstructed

has given me a lot of confidence with how to manage unbalanced stuff.

Have you got the balance spot-on now? It might look like it from the

outside, but...! What is the future of triathlon? I think the Olympic

distance should always be a classic race in the Olympic Games. I think I

could definitely see a time where there were possibly more events or

maybe even more qualifiers to get to an Olympic distance final. That

would be perfect triathlon. And you have the relay come which is such a

brilliant Olympic sport. Look at the atmosphere it generates, having this

fast racing circuit, having girls and guys in the same race as well.

It is just a bit unique. The mixed relay is a really exciting format,

it is fast, it is interesting, it keeps people's attention, and

hopefully I think that ticks all the boxes to be an Olympic sport so it

makes complete sense we should have a world-class mixed relay

competition in Britain, and we have the first one here in September in

Nottingham. It's really exciting and I think it is the right thing to do.

I really hope it is successful. That competition he mentions at the end

there is the British Triathlon Mixed Relay Cup I am delighted to say we

will have live coverage of that event from Nottingham on BBC One at

215 PM on Saturday, September two, so join us for that. Talking about

new formats, since Alistair did that interview he has competed in Super

League in Australia and it wasn't great for him, was it? It wasn't,

simply because he wasn't very well, and that style of racing you need to

bring your top game because it is tough, it is held over three days,

lots of short different distances with really short breaks so if you

are not feeling great it will not work for you.

What about the idea of Super League for triathlon, is it a good idea to

mix it up? It is exciting to have another format. We had races like

this years ago so it is exciting it is coming back but disappointing

there was no women's race this time. Triathlon has a long history of

equality between men's and women's races. The ITU have always been good

on that, equal prize money and equal number of starts, which is important

and I hope moving forward the Super League put on the women's race. They

have said that will continue in future. Do you think it is an idea

to mix it all up? Absolutely. A bit of variety is fun and it is great to

watch. It is really fast and very dynamic, but of course we want to

see a women's race as well. No Alistair or Johnny Brownlee in the

Gold Coast, Johnny is back in full training after a hip injury and will

head to Yokohama. Tom Bishop will also head to Yokohama after his

fantastic second-place finish in Abu Dhabi, so who is in Gold Coast and

what do we know about them? Here is Rob Walker. Javier Gomez Noya 's

Matt Quinn in Abu Dhabi puts him in the gold swim hat on the Gold Coast.

He had a surprise party attended by triathlon pals to celebrate his 34th

birthday on the 25th of March, making him the oldest man in the

field as well as the one to beat. Wearing bronze it is excitable South

African Richard Murray, as the winner of last month's Super League,

he won 100,000 Australian dollars in prize money. What he is spending it

on is still to be confirmed. After a career best seventh place in Abu

Dhabi, Greg Billington is in the red on the Gold Coast. The American took

-- American grew up in the English village Six Mile Bottom and builds

himself on social media as the 1997 boys under 950 metres by Suffolk

County champion. Expect to see him flying through today's swim. In Ryan

Illy Magnum at this Ryan Bailie, born in South Africa but moved to

Australia when he was a baby. He thought about becoming an Aussie

rules player but stuck with triathlon winning the amateur 18-19

-year-old age group world title in 2009. Don't be deceived by the

number 14 on the arm of 2012 world schools Cross country champion Jacob

Birtwhistle. He was the surprise package at the Super League

triathlon finishing second overall. And with a Commonwealth Games place

at stake for the Australians, the Tasmanian will be looking to put his

devilish sprint skills to good use today.

Listening to that there is interesting talent coming from

Australia at the moment. It is about time because they have had a lull is

certainly on the men's side. A lot of young guys coming through which

is exciting for them. The athletes we will be looking at today,

definitely Jacob Birtwhistle, former and 23 world champion, comes in with

really good form, and Ryan Bailie definitely, finished fourth here

last year, he will be one to watch. Also we can't fail to mention Mario

Mola because by his exceptionally high standards

it wasn't a great start for him, was it? He was eighth in Abu Dhabi which

is not a good race for him, so he will be disappointed. He didn't swim

well but he rode well so today if he is closer in this when he could have

a great race. Thank you both, time for you to head to commentary. I

will hand you to Rob Walker for the men's race. COMMENTATOR: Absolutely

superb win last month for Javier Gomez Moya. Mario Mola, the world

champion, will be disappointed with how he finished in Abu Dhabi,

eighth. He will hope to be back to form. Olympic bronze-medallist Henry

Schuman -- Henri Schoeman. It is really a world-class line-up here on

the Gold Coast. It is a great cast assembled here,

and with that subplot of those automatic spots for the Commonwealth

Games. They seem to hold them for an age

there on the pontoon, but at last, round two in the men's 2017 world

triathlon series is under way. Javier Gomez Noya Mo Farah left of

the picture there. He has started his season in cracking form. He has

never won a world triathlon series race over sprint distance, though.

Can he prove that there is still some speed in those legs as well as

the great stamina and the top-quality tactics and racing brain

that has taken him to five world titles? Should be a fascinating

race. It always looks so spread out, that's what fascinates me, the fact

that it is a big line but somehow it all comes together. It is, you start

off 70 metres apart venue wall come to one single point together 300

metres away, and that's where it can get messy and the fighting starts.

Interesting to see everyone lined up from the right-hand side of the

pontoon, when they were stored on it, whereas in the women's race the

left was a bit quicker, so there must be a reason, the current must

be better on that side. Gomez and Mario Mola, they all went to that

side of the pontoon. I think with the French missing today, who are so

often at the front of the swim pack, and the Russians, it will be a

slightly different swim today, of course, Henri Schoeman from South

Africa is here, so we will expect to see him pushing the pace, Javier

Gomez Noya is well, renowned for good swim, such a complete athlete,

and Fernando Alarza, but I think the swim world be more competitive with

the lack of French and Russians. We also have Ben Kanute from the USA,

he is a great swimmer and might drag out the swim and lead out. He was

definitely up there in Abu Dhabi. Will be interesting to see how they

take this buoy because it is a big group of athletes going round. Not

the South African we are expecting leading. Wian Sullwald, third in

Cape Town in the World Cup earlier this year so we know he is informed.

He didn't finish in Abu Dhabi. He crashed out on a tight bend there so

will hope to make amends here today on the Gold Coast. I saw the colours

of Javier Gomez Noya Spain, I think in fourth position, looking fairly

relaxed I would say. There is not the urgency we normally see. I just

wondered there, it is hard to tell with the names on the caps, I

thought the athlete in third might have been Trent Thorpe, and if that

is the case, he is only 20 years of age, the New Zealander. If it is him

he is having a very good swim indeed, but Gomez close enough to

the early leader, Wian Sullwald the South African, but the arrow is

already forming. That will really take some doing, to form a breakaway

at the start of this bike course, as we saw in the women's race. So

difficult to get away then stay away in those four circuits of five K. I

think in the one lap swim, the 750, there doesn't seem to be as much

opportunity to break up and quite often the brakes go, in the men's

race especially, in the lap, the pace stays on. It will be hard for

these guys in the front to form a break like they didn't Abu Dhabi. So

Wian Sullwald has done a great job leading the swim. A little gap

between fourth and fifth but as we have said, it will be so difficult

for a big breakaway to form. Short, sharp swim, these guys are so

powerful, and in fact the South African is pulling away from Ben

Kanute in the last few strokes. An excellent swim from yet another

talented South African. It was Trent Thorpe in third for New

Zealand, but the graphics indicated it was Henri Schoeman out of the

water first as opposed to Wian Sullwald. We will get confirmation

of that when we have the chance to look at him close up. If it is Henri

Schoeman, and it is, that is a great start to his race. Ben Kanute going

well, Gomez right there. That is Canada's Matt Sharp by the way

instead of Great Britain's Matt Sharp for those of you who follow

British triathlon. So Henri Schoeman, the man who took the

Olympic bronze medal last August, then won the grand final in

September, he has had a cracking start to his race. A bit confusing

there because the graphics were showing his team-mate leading the

race and it wasn't, which makes a lot more sense because Henri

Schoeman as we know is one of the leading swimmers on the world

triathlon series. Henri Schoeman was tenth in Abu Dhabi. 12th in the Gold

Coast last year. But judging by how much she has improved in the last 12

months, that performance here year ago is not indicative of where he is

now. This is great to see. One long train

coming out of the swim. Already smashed up. Schoeman and then can

meet -- Ben Kanute really determined. This is great, they have

come out and both of them, they are riding as hard as they can. Gomez

and the two behind him will try to get on. If those three come

together, you have a really good working group of five. Everyone is

working just as hard. And the subplot is that you have got Trent

Thorpe, the 20-year-old New Zealander, along with his team-mate,

Tayler Reid, both of them vying to be the first New Zealander home. If

they manage to come home in the top six, selection guaranteed. There is

a very long way to go. Schoeman looking over his shoulder. He would

like to have Gomez. Even though he does not want to be with him on the

run. He knows the importance of it on the bike to keep away from the

chase pack. They are not looking back and waiting, they are still

going for it. There is the look back to see if they are coming, but you

cannot afford to wait because there is not time in the sprint distance.

Although you want to be aware of whether people coming from behind

how difficult is it to form a breakaway on such a short race? It

is tough. If you look at the sprint distance races, it is not often a

breakaway sticks. It is going to be tough. If you are going to have a

breakaway, you want people like Schoeman, Gomez. And Ben Kanute who

wrote really well in Abu Dhabi. You want them up there. He is riding

incredibly strong. The three behind including Gomez, one of the

strongest on the circuit, they are finding it tough. This is the point

when they can catch up, a little break. Gomez in third place now. If

they are going to form a breakaway, they have got to do it now. As soon

as the big chase group come around the corner, they will be able to see

them and they will smell the opportunity perhaps to close the

gap. That is the big chase pack. What is positive is that even though

these guys, even if they do get caught, they have made everyone

behind work harder. Mola was 27 seconds down. If he gets to the

front, he has done more hard work. That plays out later on in the run.

Exactly. They cannot afford to look up. They are close, to close, the

chase pack. They will have to do is in pretty special to stay away,

these guys. -- have to do something. We are one lap in with three to go.

Ben Kanute, Gomez, Tayler Reid, Schoeman, Trent Thorpe. They have

worked incredibly hard to try to stay away. There is the gap. Fourth

in Abu Dhabi, leading the rest of the field. A treadmill of great

Spanish triathletes being turfed out of the junior system. And now Tayler

Reid takes his turn. He is just 20. Two very young New Zealanders doing

all they can to make the most of what could be a fantastic

opportunity for one of them. Absolutely. Schoeman looks really

strong on the bike. They are still close. Eight seconds is not much.

They are going to be working hard behind. In the front and the back,

they will be tiring themselves out for the run. It is a funny position,

where would you rather be, chasing or burning your energy? Most people

would rather be in the front, trying to make it happen. At the same time,

you have Mola and Murray getting dragged up to the front. You

mentioning Mola, you correctly said that at the start of the bike, he

was around 26, 27 seconds adrift, he is now in that chasing pack, 26

seconds has become nine. A good position for Mario Mola to be in. He

was within contact on the swim. In the big pack. He will probably be

pretty comfortable in there, you can almost be thinking about the run

already, if you think the pack will catch. They are within striking

distance now. This group is slowing down a bit. Glances over their

shoulder, realising they are now dangerously close. A great effort

from all five of them on the first lap but perhaps now they have

succumbed to the inevitable coming together of the five and the

enormous chase pack. Now looking at our screens, the chase pack has

joined up with the front five riders who worked really hard fought 8.5

kilometres. It has been in vain because they have now been met

either chase group which contains Richard Murray and Mario Mola, the

two big threats to Javier Gomez on the run. You would almost imagine

the leading contenders here would hit cruise control and start

thinking, right, this is a straight five K Burn up, 12.5 laps of a track

for the man who is going to take second round victory here. But what

a start this would be for Javier Gomez if he went to out of two. It

is certainly a declaration of intent that not only has he recovered from

the injury but crucially, despite all he has achieved in the context

of the World Triathlon Series and the Olympic silver behind Alistair

Brownlee in London, he is still hungry, still motivated. And the

oldest athlete in the field at 34 as well. I did not know that,

interesting. Gomez has been around for a long time. He has been such a

good athlete for so many years. It will be interesting to see whether

he does want to commit to Tokyo and go for that. I think he is planning

on making his decision after this year, whether he moves to longer

distance or stays with the Olympic distance. Maybe he could do what

Alistair Brownlee is doing and leave the option open. It is not as if you

go into long-distance and you put your feet up and spend six hours a

day in front of the TV. If he does 18 months, 12 months, of

long-distance, would you say the end of 2018 would be the realistic point

at which the likes of Javier Gomez and Alistair Brownlee would go, we

are two years out, am I going to commit to another two years of

Olympic distance or am I going to have a crack at the half and

maybe...? I think so, that would be the time you have to refocus on the

Olympics. Javier Gomez has raced really well at 70.3 and Olympic

combined, not many athletes do. In 2015, he was well champion, 70.3,

and he was second maybe in the Olympic distance. He is one of the

athletes that can combine it. Moving to iron man, maybe you do need to

focus specifically on that. You do. 70.3 is the distance where they run

a half marathon and a lot of people say you can combine that training

and step up to the Ironman, it is very different. The point to be made

is Alistair Brownlee has two gold medals. I am not saying whether he

will make Tokyo or not, it is a big deal, he has alluded to the fact he

might help Jonny, but Gomez does not have the gold medal, he has

everything else, but he does not have the gold medal. I can see him

wanting to continue while he carries on winning and as long as he does

not get injured and stays healthy, he is still a big threat, even at

34, as we saw in Abu Dhabi. Ryan Fisher just getting the bit between

his teeth. For a little while, it was Matthew Hauser, the 19-year-old

Australian leading. But Fisher just decided to split things up a little

bit. It is knowing when to attack which is a key thing. A long

straight road into a headwind or tailwind, when is the right time? It

is having enough knowledge about bike racing and knowing when to do

that. It is a lot more technical than you think. With someone just

watching now. There is the right time to attack. Fisher has gone now.

I guess he is thinking, I have nothing to lose. He did it on the

slightly more technical section, the best place for him to get away. It

certainly is a brave move when you think about the quality in this

chase group. Mola is there. Javier Gomez, Richard Murray, the South

African in cracking form, sauce is his compatriot, Schoeman. -- so too.

A declaration of intent from Ryan Fisher. From a neutral perspective,

I don't know about you two, but there is a bit of me that feels you

want them to be able to stay out front, even if they only have five,

six seconds by the end of the run, if they have been balls the enough

to be this brave, there is a bit of you that wants it to pay off --

five, six seconds by the run. You do not want to be a passenger, you are

proactive. It is always to be admired even if it does not always

pay off. It is worth a try and you learn from doing it, you learn your

limits and if you have the power data on your bike, what did I hold,

what did it take to break the pack? It is all useful information for

yourself. It depends how you feel on the day as well. Sometimes it will

work, sometimes it does not. The legendary Welsh marathon runner

Steve Jones, your compatriot, former world record-holder, he always said,

if you feel good in a race, you should go, and even if you blow up,

never regret it. I think there is a lot to be said for that. It makes it

a lot more exciting for the viewers. If nothing else come EU come into

transition on your own and you have open transition and you have not got

to worry about getting caught up with other people -- if nothing

else, you come into transition. Can he stay away, four kilometres to go?

It is really good to see he has been bold enough to follow his own race

plan. And not show too much respect to the likes of Mola, the reigning

world champion, and Gomez, the five-time world champion and Olympic

silver medallist back in London. No man has ever successfully defended

this Gold Coast title in the World Triathlon Series so there is a bit

of a first for Mola but it is a tall order because other than Ryan Fisher

who is nine, ten seconds out front, everybody else you would expect to

be in the lead group is there. Great work from the Australian. And

hopefully, he will be taking some heart from the cheers of those in

the gantry. Managing to extend that lead from the previous lap. He was

six, seven seconds. He has finished the fourth circuit on the bike with

real strength, given himself every opportunity. He has given himself 16

seconds lead which over five kilometres is a good distance. We

are not sure where his running fitness is at the moment. It will be

interesting. These guys off-line. Alarza leading the way. The massive

cheer when Ryan Fisher left, that is one of the reasons for him doing it,

getting the home support behind you, amazing. This is where it will all

kick off now on the run. If Murray brings the form he produced in the

super league and for his two World Cup wins earlier this year, he will

be absolutely flying. He will be really enjoying this. He is looking

strong too, just depends if those guys will catch, they will probably

catch pretty quick. It has been a brilliant effort from Ryan Fisher

and his race is not over yet but you can see how quickly the likes of

Mola and Jacob Birtwhistle and Gomez and Alarza along with Richard Murray

who has been ominously quiet so far, and this is the moment Ryan Fisher

glances to his left hand side, he will not like what he is seeing, he

moves aside and he now has to try to dig in and hold on. A fantastic

effort to get away on the bike but this is going to be very tough for

him now. It is. But a great effort. The next time maybe he will have a

few more seconds. As you mentioned, Helen, people learn from the

experience. You learn what you can and cannot do. Those five are moving

really fast. Back onto the back of them, Schoeman. Another really

strong athlete, Crisanto Grajales, from Mexico. Such a big talented

group of Spaniards at the front. Mola, Gomez, Alarza, but Murray, he

looks good in second place, doesn't he? He does. But Mola does tend to

get the better of him on the run. We did not see the sprint finish in

Hamburg lasted which Mola won because Murray had the mishap in

transition and had to sit out a 15 second penalty and was discolour

fight. We never saw them go head-to-head. But Mola looking like

he means business. I wonder what is going through his mind, knowing he

has got Murray and Mola up ahead of him. Jacob Birtwhistle looking like

he is slightly struggling. We know he has great pedigree. World under

23 champion in 2015. Third-place finish in the super league race

which took place a couple of weeks ago.

I think that is the chase pack there, the three Aussies close to

the front, Sissons as well who got a podium last week. Fish are now

dropping back, we can see the gap, the gap is huge, only three and a

half kilometres gone with an 11 second gap between the chase pack of

five athletes, three Spaniards, the South African Richard Murray and the

Australian Jacob Birtwhistle. This race is playing into Jacob's hands

for a Commonwealth Games spot on the Australian team. In terms of

Commonwealth selection he is definitely in the best space. Mario

Mola really taking this out, trying to break them early on. He has

really pushed it on. An indication of that is how quickly Henri

Schoeman has been spat out of the back of that group, and he now is in

danger of being swallowed up by the chase pack.

So, five men in a group here, almost all in single file bar Richard

Murray. Up against three Spaniards, and be inspired Australian youngster

Jacob Birtwhistle who has allowed a metre or two to grow between himself

and the third of the Spaniards, Javier Gomez Noya. Murray has been

right on Mario Mola's shoulder almost right away through that fast

black -- first lap, they are training partners and friends. Henri

Schoeman now looking over his shoulder, and he knows that big

group are about to join him. One big chase group, but surely the winner

is going to come from one of these five. Mario Mola will want to make

up for what happened in Abu Dhabi, it wasn't a dreadful performance but

he was eighth, and where you bet -- when you bear in mind last year he

won Abu Dhabi, Gold Coast coast, Yokohama and Hamburg, he wants to

get his season on track. These last two kilometres will be so fast and

so tough, sometimes you say it comes down to being mentally strongest

that this is physical and mental, it is pretty tough, the pace Mario Mola

and Richard Murray are running out now. I find that with five K, you

can get through two or three K Bennett starts to hurt, the last two

kilometres and you know you have to get through the pain. These are the

best guys in the world. They will be the ones

that can do it. And the gap has now formed between second and third, so

the two training partners and team-mates, one representing South

Africa, the other Spain, and a gap back to Fernando Alarza and Javier

Gomez Noya is to the Spaniards in third and fourth but what a duel

this could be between two men who know each other's strengths and

weaknesses inside out. How do you pick a winner from here? I'm not

going to call it! I'm not sure either. Murray has been sat in a

little bit but I think when they turned they go back into a headwind

so it will be interesting to see if Murray takes on a bit of the lead,

give Mario a bit of a break. It is tricky here in third and fourth

because that's when the last medal is -- where the last medleys. We'll

Fernando Alarza get the better of his older team-mate? We have just

over a kilometre to find out. Jacob Birtwhistle, if he keeps up the

pace, the first spot in the Austrian Commonwealth Games team will be his.

You have the reigning world champion against the man in form, Richard

Murray, who just has a little look over his shoulder to check where

Fernando Alarza and Javier Gomez are, and barring a huge serve from

those two the winner will come from these two. Murray has two world

triathlon series victories so far in his career, and both have come at

sprint distance. He will fancy this, especially after his two World Cup

wins earlier this year and his victory in the Super League. He will

want to lay down the market here. Last season he just missed out on an

overall World Championship medal and just missed out on an Olympic medal.

He didn't take up triathlon to become a nearly man. He wants to

remind everyone he is a force to reckon with on the global stage but

Mario Mola is a la -- not lying down here. It is not often you see it but

he is grimacing and working really hard at the moment. Does it come

down to who wants it the most? Of course they both wanted but at this

point they are both absolutely on the edge, aren't they? I think they

are both working really hard but we haven't seen Murray play his cards

yet. He has just sat there so we don't know if he is waiting.

Fernando Alarza has moved away from Javier Gomez, and in the background

Jacob Birtwhistle is still just about hanging on for fifth with his

young compatriot Luke Willian, in that chase group trying to close

them down. Five metres -- 500 metres to go and still nothing to separate

Mario Mola and Murray. Murray has to look forward at the moment. What

have they got over the last 400 metres? This will be exciting. Mario

Mola looks like he is pulling away, Murray doesn't look like he will run

him down. Murray keeps looking over his shoulder, and is that the

tell-tale sign that gives us the clue that his aspirations for the

win are spent? So impressive from Mario Mola, he has completely

dictated the whole run. So Mario Mola has led the run from start to

finish. He knows his training partner Richard Murray is world

class when it comes to running, but so is he. He is the reigning world

champion, and he is going to become the first man to defend the world

triathlon series win here on the Gold Coast. One world title, this is

his first marker that he wants his second. Mario Mola reigns supreme

here in Australia, a great second place therefore Richard Murray, and

it is Fernando Alarza who completes the podium having broken Javier

Gomez in the last few hundred metres. Gomez follows up first in

Abu Dhabi with fourth in the Gold Coast, and Birtwistle has hung on.

The young Australian is getting a bigger raw than Mario Mola. The

first home-grown athlete across the line and that means he has booked

his place in the Commonwealth Games last year. -- next year. Very happy

with the bronze medal. It was very hard. Mario the whole time in the

last five K, all the time in third position, and I was... At three

kilometres... It was a very tough race. Richards, Fernando and Javier

Cuaron fire and I had to give 100% to get the win. I did everything I

could and Mario was like a surging machine. I responded as much like

then I was literally on rivet from the last turn all the way back in

transition. I did what I could. By your own high standards you are

obviously disappointed with your performance in Abu Dhabi. As world

champion how important was it for you to make a statement today? Well,

every race is a different opportunity, a new opportunity to

give our best and try our best. In Abu Dhabi I don't think I was less

bit or worse than today but these guys are very good and if you don't

have your best day you go from first to eighth or 20th, so that is

racing. Happy with a good result and performance here now. Still Javier

Gomez Noya on the hunt for his first sprint title. No disgrace with

fourth because Mario Mola was unmatchable today, an absolutely

brilliant run. So, this is the standings so far after two grounds,

remember there is a long way to go. Gomez is still with number one next

to his name. Richard Murray moves up to second. Fernando Alarza third and

Mario Mola moving up as well, because remember he was eighth in

Abu Dhabi. When you bring the likes of Jonathan Brownlee back into the

mix in Yokohama, this has the makings of a great and thoroughly

absorbing season at the top of the men's leaderboard.

Fantastic result for Mario Mola, he is the world champion, you kind of

hoped you would see that result for him. He looked fantastic on the run

today, he took command straightaway and pushed on and everyone else was

hanging onto him for as long as possible. He had to make up time,

didn't he? He did, he lost more time than he would have liked but there

was a long train, it took a lap or so for them to catch back onto the

leaders, there was a breakaway of five athletes but once he got back

on you felt it would be his race. Interesting hearing Richard Murray

talk about him, he came second, talking about the surge is Mario

Mola put in. Mario is an incredible athlete and it will always be had.

Richard maybe had a harder day-to-day. Normally you would see

them battling it out but Mario got the edge today. Talk to us about the

cycling, particularly the pack, because there were so many different

and new triathletes trying to get to the front in lots of different

places. It is post-Olympic years so there is more space in the field at

the moment. A lot of younger Kiwis and Aussies trying to make their

names, they really want to get in the Commonwealth Games team next

year so they will try new things on the bike. Exciting to see them

coming through. Anyone you thought was a little bit special? I think

Jacob Birtwhistle did really well, he finished fifth and did what he

needed to do and qualified for the Commonwealth Games. As Helen said,

Mario Mola was on fire, and it was interesting that Richard Murray

said, I had a great day and felt good out there but Mario Mola was

just better than everyone else today. Javier Gomez in fourth, of

course, but this is not his favourite distance. Heeds will be

disappointed not to make the podium but it is a good solid race for him

over a sprint distance because he has never won a sprint distance

race. He was still in Australia after the Super League race and why

not get the points? It is important when you have the opportunity to get

the points. I don't think he would be too disappointed with fourth

placed. Still to come this afternoon, two of Everton versus

Leicester on 5Live and the BBC Sport website. Next week, commentary of

the track cycling World Championships live from Hong Kong,

starting on Wednesday at 12pm on BBC Two. As for triathlon, just over a

month until round three in Yokohama. We will have live coverage of both

men's and women's races in the early hours of Saturday, May 13 on the Red

Button and the BBC Sport website. Rest assured, if you can't get out

of bed in time, we will have the highlights on BBC Two on Sunday May

14 at 1pm. Let's get both your thoughts on Yokohama, really

important for Tom Bishop first of all. He had a breakthrough in Abu

Dhabi and will be looking to back it up in Yokohama, it will be exciting

to watch. The first time we see Johnny Brownlee in this series. It

will be exciting but he has a tendency to race well in Yokohama so

I think he will be looking forward to it. I think he will be well

prepared when he gets there. I am looking forward to seeing

non-Stander and Vicky Holland. It is exciting to see them back. They were

third and fourth at the Olympics and they were not racing this year so

they could potentially be the top two if they come back from their

injuries. They will be looking forward to racing against. I am sure

they will be. They have had time out since Rio but absolutely they will

have seen the first race is happening and will be looking

forward to racing. I think so, yes, just getting back into the mix of

its. Should be a great event, thank you both for talking through it all,

I will see you for Yokohama and see you in Leeds. Thank you very much,

and thanks for watching.