ATHLETICS - Duathlon beckons Anton after win

Whangarei triathlete Katherine Anton may focus her energies on the rapidly growing international duathlon scene after blowing the opposition away en route to winning the New Zealand duathlon title in Auckland at the weekend.
Anton was so powerful on the bike leg of the event, staged on the Auckland Waterfront, that she won the women's title by more than a minute, despite coming into the event at the end of a training break.
Now she is considering a permanent move to the highly specialised duathlon race circuit as it suits her abilities as a strong runner and exceptional cyclist. The win on Saturday had wiped away memories of a disappointing debut at the elite triathlon level in New Plymouth earlier this year where she was disqualified on the final run leg.
"I basically rested a bit after the triathlon season so went to Auckland for the duathlon champs with no expectations because I did not know much about the duathlon scene," Anton said.
"It turns out there was a number of quality athletes there and in the end the defending (women's) champion pushed me a bit around the course and made for some hard racing.
"I will have to sit down and really think quite hard about what I do from here though because the duathlon races suit me better. I do need to do a lot of thinking about that. I probably prefer triathlon, but could do better in duathlon because swimming is my weakness."
Anton had taken a while to recover from her experience in New Plymouth. After being granted a wildcard entry to the elite ITU world cup race, she was disqualified when she got confused and failed to run the last lap of the final leg.
"That was an experience. I certainly learnt a lot down there (in New Plymouth). It is quite a different atmosphere in the professional race."
The trick now, Anton said, was to find out if the duathlon racing scene was worth chasing. It is a developing sport in New Zealand, but one she could achieve in.
The win in Auckland on Saturday adds a nice exclamation point to an impressive 12-month period for Anton though. She secured four top-three finishes in the national triathlon series over summer, and was bumped from top spot only late in the season by New Zealand elite squad member Nicki Samuels.
Whangarei triathlon club members Graeme McDonald (first in 50-54 age group), Chris Seeley (second 50-54) and Ian Bunting (second 55-59) also did well at the Auckland event.