Canadian Lionel Sanders win Long Distance World Championship on home soil

by Chelsea White on 27 Aug, 2017 09:21 • Español
With cheers of a home nation crowd, Canada’s own Lionel Sanders claimed victory to become the 2017 Penticton ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion. Overcoming a large deficit from the swim and a flat tire on the bike, the Canadian delivered a come-from-behind performance to collect his first world honour of his career.

With cheers of a home nation crowd, Canada’s own Lionel Sanders claimed victory to become the 2017 Penticton ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Champion. Overcoming a large deficit from the swim and a flat tire on the bike, the Canadian delivered a come-from-behind performance to collect his first world honour of his career.

“That has got to be the hardest I have ever ran. Unfortunately I got a flat on the bike, the technical descent scared the crap out of me. I think it was a testament of two things: always carry a spare and second, it is not over until it is over.” Lionel said. “I like adversity. I don’t ask for it but it always seems to come for me. So I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to win this thing, with a flat tire and that became my motivation, so you can do a lot of things when you are highly motivated.”

Taking the silver medal was Joshua Amberger (AUS), who held the race lead for the majority of the competition. The bronze then went to another Aussie, Joe Gambles.

Preparing for a full morning of triathlon racing, the men’s roster lined up for an early start to kick off the last day of competitions at the 2017 Penticton Multisport World Championships event.

The 24-deep list of elite men ran from their beach start into the Okagagan Lake to start the three-kilometre lap swim. The swim course included two long one-kilometre straight parts that intended to split the field. Two men managed to get the edge, Amberger and Spaniard Pablo Dapena Gonzalez exited the waters first with a lead of about two minutes over a pack of four men such as Mark Buckingham (GBR) and Andy Potts (USA).

Sanders was about four minutes down in the swim, but is known to always make a comeback in the next two legs of the race.

Once onto the bike, Amberger quickly separated himself as the race leader. He intensified his lead pedal after pedal. The 120-kilometre bike allowed for many changes in the field among the top ten, but all kept gunning for the Aussie. Frenchman and the 2016 ITU Long Distance World Champion, Sylvain Sudrie pushed himself into the silver position, with Canada’s Sanders in hot pursuit. Eventually Sanders overtook Sudrie near the middle of the bike leg, but a flat tire out on the course pushed Sanders back in third as the two headed back into the second transition.

Amberger sped into T2 after dominating on the bike; he had created over a three-minute lead over the chase. However, the run is Amberger’s softer spot, which meant that every second earned he needed it to count in order to fend off intruders of his pursued title.

With Sudrie in second and Sanders in third, young USA’s Drew Scott came into T2 in fourth, with another Aussie Gambles in fifth.

With still about two hours of racing to go from 30 kilometres of a run course, the world crown was still anyone’s for the taking.

The Aussie managed to keep his lead, but he had strong runners in his sights.

Before long, Sanders catapulted himself into second again with the intentions of going for the gold as well. While there was no change in the lead after the first two laps, Sanders had pushed his gap down to about two minutes with still over ten kilometres to go.

It was then after the bell that Sanders finally caught his goal and overtook Amberger.

The lead then did not change and Canada was free to welcome it’s hometown hero to the stage as Sanders crossed the line at 05:20:36.0 to grab the finisher’s tape and become the 2017 Long Distance World Champion.

Just under two minutes later, Amberger crossed to take the silver medal, exhausted but rightfully earned after having a crushing performance. The bronze then went to Gambles, who earned his medal on the run. His last minute effort on the last lap brought him in to capture the last spot on the podium, a feat he did not know was secured under the final metres of the race.


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Related Event: 2017 Penticton ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships
27 Aug, 2017 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Men
1. Lionel Sanders CAN 05:20:36
2. Joshua Amberger AUS 05:22:09
3. Joe Gambles AUS 05:26:23
4. Andy Potts USA 05:27:25
5. Sylvain Sudrie FRA 05:29:49
Results: Elite Women
1. Sarah Crowley AUS 05:51:23
2. Helle Frederiksen DEN 05:55:04
3. Heather Wurtele CAN 05:55:51
4. Kaisa Sali FIN 06:01:16
5. Leanda Cave GBR 06:04:44
Results: PTWC Men
DNF. Brian Martin H2 CAN DNF
Results: PTS3 Women
1. Marianne Hüche DEN 11:50:58
Results: PTVI Men
1. John Domandl B3 AUS 07:34:09
Results: 18-19 Male AG
1. Payne Pachuda USA 06:59:26
2. Marcos Brunno Sá Leitão Vieira Costa BRA 07:30:50
3. Hayden Grobleben USA 08:26:59
Results: 20-24 Female AG
1. Kiah Wheeler CAN 06:56:28
2. Claire Robinson CAN 06:59:08
3. Gabriella Gioia RSA 07:11:59
4. Kaileen McCulloch CAN 07:15:13
5. Isabel Ahrendt USA 07:54:47
Results: 20-24 Male AG
1. Loren Nelson CAN 06:34:31
2. Jack Schofield GBR 06:36:33
3. Ryo Narita JPN 06:40:47
4. Christopher Cecil USA 06:46:55
5. Ali Alethawy CAN 06:51:30
Results: 25-29 Female AG
1. Jenna-Caer Seefried CAN 07:10:35
2. Ange Keen NZL 07:17:29
3. Rebecca Ungermann AUS 07:23:46
4. Lucy Strack NZL 07:26:19
5. Rebecca Archibald AUS 07:37:55
Results: 25-29 Male AG
1. Frank Sorbara CAN 05:58:34
2. Maurice Backschat GER 06:17:27
3. Jeremy Kalmus USA 06:29:25
4. Nick Hetro USA 06:30:31
5. Joe Matheson USA 06:51:19
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