By Liam Lines
Gwen Kinsey seized the opportunity for gold thanks to some help from a certain video platform in training.
The 42-year-old won the sprint event of the ITU World Triathlon Championships in the 40-44 age category by 27 seconds. After she had qualified for both the standard and the sprint earlier in the year.
The Netherland course included a 750m swim, 20k bike and a 5k run. Kinsey started strong, as she swam into the lead, after finding a better line through the buoys, and would extend the lead in the 500m run to the first transition onto the bike.
A challenging, ‘draft legal’ bike section – meaning competitors had no restrictions on how close they could cycle from one another – included ramps, cobbles and tight turns saw Kinsey drop a place, as she was overtaken by eventual silver medallist Trish Deykin Even though Kinsey came into the second transition 15 seconds behind Deykin, Kinsey would be the fastest on the change over from the bike started the the 5k run in front.
Kinsey would go on to take gold with a time of 11:11:41, a difference of 27 seconds from Deykin in second.
After a brave second-place at the start of September, after a swamp weed scare in France, Kinsey was pleased to come out with the victory on a highly technical course.
Kinsey said: “I loved the highly technical bike course; negotiating ramps, speed bumps, cobbles and tight turns. It added an extra aspect to the normal sort of problems you encounter.”
She went on to explain how she used the internet to get an edge, ahead of the competition.
“It had helped enormously that I had viewed the route on You Tube many times while practicing on the turbo trainer!”
Meanwhile, Kinsey was first in her age group and fourth elite runner at the Castle Triathlon Series at Hever Castle, placing her third in the series.
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