TRIATHLON - Warriner seeking increase in speed

A devastating swim leg in Hamburg has suddenly piled some extra pressure on Sam Warriner for her next world triathlon date, the all-important New Zealand Olympic trial in Beijing on September 15.
Warriner was virtually wiped from the contest at the world championship race in Hamburg yesterday the moment she opted to start on the wrong side of the pontoon for the first swim leg.
She eventually finished 11th after the first leg of the two-lap swim leg saw her buffeted to the middle of the pack and exit the water more than a minute behind the leaders.
Now she is steeling herself for Beijing where she will be locked in a battle with three other Kiwis - Debbie Tanner, Nicki Samuels and Anna Hewitt - for an early Olympic qualifying berth.
While Warriner achieved a career-best 11th at a world championship race, and Tanner likewise set a career-best by finishing 12th, both were disappointed by their efforts in the water. Ultimately it was the swim leg that cost the Kiwis any chance of a podium finish, with both over a minute behind the lead group, time they could not make up on the bike.
"I'm pretty disappointed right now and really it came down to one decision very early in my day. I chose the wrong side on the swim and found myself getting pushed into a buoy. Eventually I was forced under and lost a lot of time," Warriner said. "From that moment I was playing catch-up, and worked really hard on the bike while at the same time concentrated on good position on the road to avoid a couple of crashes."
It won't just be her choice of swimming starting-lane that will come under scrutiny. Yesterday her major international rivals displayed some impressive form.
Portugal's Vanessa Fernandez was untouchable as she blasted away to win the world title, driving a ferocious pace on the cycle leg then surging away from the lead bunch on the run to win by more than a minute.
Australian Emma Snowsill produced a sub-33-minute run to power her way from 11th to second place, signalling her return to top form; Snowsill will also be racing in Beijing, to cement her place in the Australian Olympic team.
That means Warriner, who is already clocking personal-best running times in training, will need to find yet more speed to stay competitive with Fernandez and Snowsill and a rapidly quickening bunch of elite athletes all aiming to display their abilities on the Beijing course that will also be used at next year's Olympic Games.
The 33-minute mark for the final 10km run leg of the triathlon is the barrier to break through; Warriner has not broken that barrier yet.
"I eventually found my rhythm and by the second lap was running strongly but by then it was too late. Given the quality of the field and the pace of the race, 11th is not embarrassing by any stretch, but right now I can't help but feel really disappointed with the way things have played out. But I will get myself together and look forward now to a strong race in Beijing."