GERMANY’S ANNE HAUG burst through the field in Auckland to win the ITU World Triathlon Series grand final on Saturday, while Ireland’s Aileen Morrison failed to finish
In a breakthrough season where the 29-year old German has consistently finished in the top five, her grand final victory saw her take second in the overall rankings behind series winner Lisa Norden.
The Swede was fourth in Auckland and was elated to take the honour after series leader and favourite Erin Densham from Australia dropped out in the cycle leg.
It was a bitter end for the ill Densham, who did not last long into the bike leg before she was forced to retire.
Haug attacked early on the bike and managed to find herself alongside the leaders, including Norden and local favourite Andrea Hewitt.
Hewitt needed to win the final event to have any chance of being crowned world champion but slipped away in the run leg to finish seventh and second overall in the series.
Gwen Jorgenson produced a huge effort to join the leaders late on but Haug soon pulled away to claim her first win of the season by 12 seconds.
American Jorgenson was second from Chilean Barbara Riveros Diaz, who took bronze.
Morrison registered a DNF having at one stage found herself in second position in the race race after the swim, before dropping off the pace.
She later revealed that she had failed to fully recover from a cold prior to the race.
“It was a tough call for someone like me, but after being passed by the 2nd pack I knew I was cooked.
“I spent much of last week resting after a cold. I just wasn’t up to the standard. I was 2nd out of the water though so chin up.”
