Whangarei triathlete Sam Warriner has dropped a broad hint that she is considering extending her international career, perhaps even until the next Olympics in London in 2012.
Warriner has won the final round of the British Corus Elite Series - her first competition since finishing 16th in a disappointing performance at
the Olympic Games in Beijing three weeks ago.
Warriner, following instructions from her coach, Murray Healey, felt she had exorcised her Beijing demons with a good performance in the Scottish event.
The 37-year-old came away with two wins in just three hours of racing in a ``Super Eliminator' event, which saw competitors swim heats of 300m, cycling seven km and run 2.2km.
Warriner won her her heat easily beating off the challenge of world junior champion Kirsty McWilliam, touted by the Scottish as being more suited to the shorter sprint event.
In the final, a group of five exited the swim together with Warriner sharing the lead with German Christine Pilz and Britons' Jodie Swallow, Jodie Stimpson and Kerry Lang. Her plan to break away early on the bike didn't come to fruition and Warriner had to be content with riding on the front for all but 100m of the bike leg. However, the run was a formality for the Kiwi, coming in 10 seconds clear of Pilz for her second win of the day.
Her response after the finish was to confirm she would consider racing on the ITU series next year. ``Now let's forget about Beijing and start thinking 2009.'
The Beijing Olympics was expected to be her swansong in international competition but Warriner has decided to continue on.
"I've got a lot more in me yet and don't intend to quit racing until my body starts to slow down and, on the basis of today's result, that could be some time. I've done a lot of soul searching the past three weeks and it's not been pretty but I know exactly where I'm going now."
