Triathlon: Docherty edges Gemmell

Kris Gemmell of New Zealand races ahead of Bevan Docherty of New Zealand during the bike leg in race six of the Contact Tri Series at Takapuna Beach. Photo / Getty Images

Double Olympic medallist Bevan Docherty outsprinted Kris Gemmell to claim the Takapuna rounds of the national triathlon series today.

There was little to separate the pair during the race and it came down to the veteran's sprint finish to find a winner.

The 33-year-old was delighted to claim the victory in hot conditions on a fleeting three-day visit to New Zealand from his training base in the United States.

"I thought he (Gemmell) had it on the run, I thought he was looking good and playing with me," he said after winning the event covering a 500m swim, 16km bike and 4km run.

Ryan Sissons made up ground on the run after losing touch with the lead group on the bike to claim third place around the tight and technical course.

The women's race was a repeat of last year with Great British triathlete Vicky Holland again proving too strong.

Wanaka's Nicky Samuels made the defending champion work for her victory, going clear on the bike in a solo ride to give her a lead of over a minute heading into the run.

But Holland ran her down to repeat her 2010 win, with Andrea Hewitt edging out Samuels for second

Holland doubted that she could overcome the buffer that Samuels had built up after being plagued with cramp on the bike leg.

"I thought Nicky had enough, I got off the bike and really wasn't sure how I would go, how I would run," she said.

Hewitt ran toe to toe with Holland throughout the run as both passed Samuels but the Christchurch triathlete had no speed at the finish to stay with Holand.

The national series moves to Wellington for the final round which also doubles as the national championships in March.

Results:

Elite Men: Bevan Docherty 43:57 1, Kris Gemmell 43:58 2, Ryan Sissons 44:40 3, Martin Van Barneveld 45:15 4, Sam Osborne 45:24 5

Elite Women: 1 Vicky Holland 49:07 1, Andrea Hewitt 49:11 2, Nicky Samuels 49:15 3, Rebecca Kingsford 50:17 4, Maddie Dillon 50:34 5.

- NZPA