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Nicole Hackett Shrine | A
page about Aussie Triathlete Nicole Hackett
The purpose of this section of
the site is to (try) and keep you up-to-date with all the
happenings regarding the 2002 Commonwealth Games selection
races.
Rd 4 - C'wealth Games
selection race #1
17th February 2002 -
Canberra, ACT
I had previously
written that the second selection race was the Devonport
race, my apologies, it is in fact Rd 6 in Geelong.
Back to Main C'wealth selection
site
EXCLUSIVE RACE
PHOTOS
Exclusive photos from RD 4 can
be found here .
HARROP WINS
EMOTION CHARGED RACE.
[added 18/02/02]
Loretta Harrop has won the
first womens place on the Manchester Commonwealth Games team
and Rd 4 of the emotion charged Accenture Triathlon Series
with Barb Lindquist second and Nicole Hackett third.
In near perfect conditions for
triathlon, the familar three of Hackett, Harrop and
Lindquist were first from the water with already a healthy
lead over the chasers.
They worked well on the 40km
bike, coming out of transition with nearly a 3 minute lead
over the first chase pack.
At the end of the first lap
(of four) on the run leg, Lindquist and Harrop had surged
away from Hackett and it was soon apparent that it would be
the Aussie vs. the American in a race to the line.
In a brillant finish Harrop
sprinted down the chute to claim race and the first of three
Commonwealth Games selection honours and is the only person
to beat Barb Lindquist so far this season.
The emotion was high as
Loretta tearfully embraced family, friends and fellow
triathletes at the finish and dedicated the win to her
brother Luke saying " I was racing for Luke, When I win a
race people talk about Luke, they remember him, and that's a
really big incentive for me. "
Nicole won a spot on the World
Championships team in being the second Australian across the
line.
Nicole's
splits
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Swim
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18:36.0 (3rd fastest)
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Bike
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01:33.0 (fastest)
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Run
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37:31.0 9 (9th fastest)
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Final
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1h 57m19s (3rd place)
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In the Men's race with a field
of 70 competitors or more Miles Stewart , in another sprint
finish, put in a spirited performance to take first from
fellow Queenslander and training partner, Courtney Atkinson
with Kiwi Hamish Carter third.
Stewart's thoughts were also
on Luke Harrop doing a victory salute skywards as he crossed
the line, later saying "He (Luke) promised me at training he
was going to take this one and beat me because it was his
birthday," Stewart said.
"This is the next best thing
in my eyes, to go out there and take it for him."
Atkinson also had one of his
best performances over the Olympic distance.
Local boy Simon Thompson was
in the hunt until misfourtune on the bike and he came down.
'Thomo' with vocal local support finished 14th.
Tomorrow I'll be picking up
the photos from the race, so stay tuned for those.
Articles
Courier Mail: Harrop grabs Games spot
Canberra Times: Tears as Harrop wins for 'soul
mate'
news.com.au - Harrop dedicates win to Luke
Elite results
More from Triathlon
Australia
[added: 15/02/02]
Nicole is currently ranked second in the
Triathlete of the Year rankings, with 55 points (Michellie
Jones also has 55 points), behind tear-away leader Bard
Linquist, who is on 66 points.
Start list, Race briefing and
Triathlete of the Year points are all avaliable in full by
visiting the Triathlon Australia website's News
section
Triathlon Australia Media
Release
Feb. 11 '02
The countdown to the
Commonwealth Games has begun! This weekend (February 17)
Australia’s elite triathletes line up for the fourth round
of the Accenture Triathlon Series in Canberra, where apart
from vital points and prize money, they’ll race for an
Australian team berth to compete in Manchester this August.
[More]
*-* My View
*-*
The first selection race for
the 2002 Commwealth Games Triathlon team is to be held this
weekend in the aptly named Commonwealth Park in Canberra on
the shores of Lake Burley Griffin.
After second placing's in
rounds 1,2 and most recently round 3 which doubled as the
Australian Sprint Championships, it would be fair to say
that Nicole is primed to do well in this race.
There has been much talk that
Nicole has been in training designed for her to peak for
these most important selection races.
This race holds a special
significance for me as I will be travelling down to Canberra
from the NSW Central Coast to watch the race.
All the best Nicole, your fans
are right behind you.
More info:
TA site -
Race info page
Triathlon ACT site - Race info
If you have any questions,
ideas, anything. Just email
me
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