TRIATHLON - Gut-busting sprint puts Sam on track for Beijing

Whangarei triathlete Sam Warriner produces a sprint finish to claim a medal for the first time at the World Triathlon Championships. It's all good news with the Beijing Olympics on the horizon, sports editor Tim Eves reports. I can't describe how it feels to have this medal - Sam Warriner The day Sam Warriner pieces together all the components of the Olympic distance triathlon event will be frightening to behold.
In the meantime, her competitive swim, strength on the bike and sheer gut-busting determination on the run leg is so good that it produced an exhilarating bronze medal at the World Triathlon Championships in Vancouver.
At least it was good enough to leave Portuguese superstar Vanessa Fernandez, the defending world champion, and an Australian duo of acclaimed Olympic medal prospects in her wake.
Of all the pre-race favourites in Vancouver, Warriner was the only one to manage a podium finish in a fiercely competitive women's field.
It also made for a day of celebration for Triathlon New Zealand, because straight after Warriner's medal winning performance, fellow Kiwi Bevan Docherty grabbed the silver gong in the men's race.
For Warriner and her faithful band of supporters back home in Whangarei, Sunday's race is being hoisted as a portent of good things to come.
A podium finish in the first of the big two world triathlon races of the season is a sign she is on the track for the second: The Beijing Olympic race in August.
But it took a tumultuous effort in a sprint finish to the line for Warriner to get the medal, by th of a second after a photo finish for third with Australian Erin Densham. Emma Moffatt was pushed back to fourth.
"I couldn't believe that I could sprint at that stage of the race. I thought she had me. I thought, `You nasty person.`
"I just don't know how my legs ran that fast, but I did it," Warriner said.
"I am just stoked to get a medal in the world champs. I have never performed on the big day, I have proved a number of times I can perform on the big days in other races, but never in the world champs until now," she said.
Following her winning effort on the same course during a world cup race in Vancouver last year, Warriner was always upbeat about her chances.
But when she emerged a minute down on the leaders after the opening swim leg she was always battling to get into the medals.
But she managed to get back into contention on the cycle leg then powered through the field on the final run leg after one of her trademark lightning quick transitions.
That strength on the run section is all good news to Warriner's coach, Murray Healey. He is about to add the finishing touches to her Olympic build-up.
"I came into this race only 80 per cent fit, to perform how I did is just brilliant and a real confidence-booster because I know I have another big block of training to go," she said.
"When it came down to the sprint finish, to be able to do that on the big day was amazing.
"I can't describe how it feels to have this medal, it was one of my goals to get a medal and to actually do it is just surreal."
Docherty had to battle equally as hard to win his silver medal, which also went down to an energy sapping sprint finish.
The New Zealand triathlon teams now head to France for altitude training.