The first medals of the Games will be decided on Saturday as the new Olympic sport of triathlon is given a stage it can barely have imagined when, eager but raw, it formed a world governing body only 11 years ago. In much the same way that Simon Lessing is expected put Great Britain on the gold medal board in the men’s race on Sunday, Michellie Jones is the marginal favourite to give the host nation a flying start.
Like Lessing, Jones has been at or near the top the swim-bike-run discipline since the day in 1989 that the International Triathlon Union was formed. Now aged 31, she was among the competitors at the 1990 Commonwealth Games when the triathlon came in as a demonstration sport. Twice world champion, Jones lines up ranked world No 1 and having won twice on the course.
While Jones forecasts that Loretta Harrop and Nicole Hackett will be among her main challengers, thereby suggesting that Australia may get the dream start of sweeping the medals, Carol Montgomery, from Canada, represents a serious threat. Montgomery is enjoying the rare distinction of competing in two sports at one Olympics, having qualified also in athletics, at 10,000 metres.
When Hackett won the world championships in Perth in April, Montgomery was second. However, the run course was short and Montgomery, having made up almost two minutes on Hackett during the final discipline, was denied 2.5 of the 10 kilometres to retrieve the final seven seconds. A dramatic finish could result if Montgomery comes off the bike within striking distance.
All three Great Britain women have an outside chance of a medal, prospects which will improve if the strong swim-cyclists fail to open a significant gap. Sian Brice and Michelle Dillon are former Commonwealth Games runners and the last discipline is Steph Forrester’s greatest strength, too.
David Powell
The Times
