Holland takes Edomonton honours as Britain lead the triathlon charge
BySportsbeat
Published 28/07/2018 at 17:44 GMT
Vicky Holland roared her way back into ITU World Triathlon Series contention after a stirring Edmonton performance saw Great Britain record one of their finest team performances.
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
The Rio 2016 bronze medallist finished 22nd last time out in Hamburg but put that disappointment firmly behind her to win in Canada for the second time in four years.
She was far from the only one celebrating however as teammate Georgia Taylor-Brown joined her on the podium, with Jess Learmonth and Jodie Stimpson ensuring there were four Brits in the top five.
Meanwhile Jonny Brownlee also had a top-five finish to celebrate, finishing just ten seconds behind eventual winner Mario Mola in Edmonton.
For Holland, however, this was a race in which her World Triathlon Series credentials were reignited.
The 32-year-old won in Leeds earlier this year but crashed in Hamburg, throwing her claim for the Series crown in doubt ahead of September's Grand Final on the Gold Coast.
But with a triumphant victory comes another confidence-building performance for the Brit, back into second place behind American Katie Zaferes ahead of next week's European Championships in Glasgow.
"I was really riding high after Leeds, and I put in a really good block of training," she said after lifting the tape in 56:51. "It was unfortunate I had a crash in Hamburg, and I felt very angry and frustrated.
"I take it a race at a time. I try not to think about leading the series too much. Katie has had such a strong season, she hasn't messed up any races."
Holland is not the only Brit in a rich vein of form however, Taylor-Brown following up her top-three position on home soil with a repeat performance in Canada in a time of 57:08.
Just six seconds separated her from Australia's Ashleigh Gentle, who crossed the line in second place behind Holland.
The British interest was far from over there though as Learmonth came home in fourth, one spot and two seconds ahead of Stimpson, the former looking to defend her European crown in Glasgow next week.
Brownlee was also flying high in North America in one of the tighest men's races of the season, the top five seaprated by just ten seconds.
The double Olympic medallist rounded off the top five in a time of 51:25, beating a number of athletes ahead of him in the Series rankings – with the Grand Final the next major race on his radar.
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