Commonwealth Games: Kiwi triathalon medal hopes weigh on Sissons

The pressure will be on anchor Ryan Sissons in tonight's relay. Photo / Sarah Ivey

After a disappointing day in the individual races saw Andrea Hewitt the only Kiwi to earn a top-10 finish, the team must show they're greater than the sum of their parts in tonight's (NZ time) relay.

And Sissons, whose 13th in the men's race ranked fifth among the six-strong New Zealand team, will assume most of the responsibility in ensuring the sport avoids a Games to forget.

In previous years, that prospect would already be reality, and the team would be heading home without adding to this country's fine recent record in the sport. But on this occasion, for the first time at either a Commonwealth Games or Olympics, the individuals have a shot at redemption.

The relay has been raced in various formats since 2003, with its current iteration introduced in 2009. As a four-person mixed race, the event has been a fixture at the world championships since 2009, while New Zealand took silver behind the hosts in Hamburg last year.

Replicating that result will depend largely on Sissons because, with each of the team racing a mini-triathlon, the pressure lies on the anchor leg. That means that while many see the event as a light, bright alternative to the full format, Sissons struggles to see the fun side.

"It does [add fun] but it's pretty nerve-racking," he said. "At world champs we were second or third through the whole race and then I was the last person to go.

"I think I was the most nervous that I've ever been, just because you have three other people who have raced their arses off to get you in a position and then left it for you to close out."

With that weight hanging over him - and with the short turnaround between races - Sissons would have been forgiven for holding back a little bit during the individual event. But he insisted that was far from the case and, in fact, the time set aside for the turnaround was a relative luxury.

"I've done it in the past having to back up the day after," he said. "Here we have an extra day to recover in between, so I don't think that's going to be an issue.

"We've done enough training to back up for that sort of race and it's such a short amount - about 20 minutes - of activity."

Another 20 minutes seems like a tough ask for Hewitt, based on the energy she expended during her individual effort. Shortly after finishing fourth, Hewitt said her legs felt "like jelly", but there was no suggestion of being too sore for second crack at a medal.

"We've got a good team and if we put everything together, and each of us stays within touch of the medal positions, then it's all up to Ryan," she laughed. "The main thing is to keep in touch with the leaders ... then it's up to the last leg, really, for the position at the end."

There will also be pressure on Nicky Samuels after she forced her way into the team at the expense of Kate McIroy, while Tony Dodds, best of the Kiwi men in the individual event, rounds out the team.APNZ