Triathlon: Gemmell second in Australia

Kris Gemmell was the second man home while Nicky Samuels and Debbie Tanner finished inside the top 10 at the opening World Cup triathlon in Mooloolabah on Australia's Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

Front running tactics played out in favour of Australian Courtney Atkinson as he held off a fast finishing Gemmell by 11 seconds to win another World Cup title.

Rising young Australian star Josh Amberger led out of the water with Atkinson and another young Aussie in James Seear right on his shoulder. Any thoughts of backing off early in the bike were quickly dispelled though as the three worked superbly through the first 20km to open a lead of one minute on the chase pack.

That margin was all the more incredible given the quality in the large second group, with race favourite Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS), Kris Gemmell (NZL), Laurent Vidal (FRA) and Michael Raelert (GER) all prominent.

Towards the end of the 40km bike three leaders became two as the strong wind and hot temperatures took a toll on Amberger and he was quickly swallowed up by the chase group of 17 riders, leaving Atkinson and Seear to work together alone.

Gemmell ran superbly in his first standard distance race of the year and was delighted with his form and fulsome in his praise of Atkinson, who lead from start to finish.

"I love the way the race was won today, to see Courtney win it like that is great and he so deserves the win," Gemmell said.

"I knew that I would run well today, we just couldn't get anything going on the bike. I tried a few times to chase the leaders down but didn't get too much help and in the end that proved the difference."

New Zealand Olympian Shane Reed raced steadily on his return to the World Cup circuit to finish 13th while Graham O'Grady was 4th and Clark Ellice 20th.

The women's race was won by one of the new stars of triathlon, with 20-year-old Canadian Kirsten Sweetland clearing out from a lead pack of seven on the 10km run to win her second World Cup title ahead of Australian Emma Moffatt and Daniela Ryf of Switzerland.

Samuels was in the thick of the action riding in the lead group throughout the 40km cycle leg and holding on to finish fourth, just outside another World Cup podium for the Wanaka athlete.

Tanner missed the lead group out of the water after being ill following a choppy and demanding swim and had to play catch up in a chase pack of seven throughout the bike. She eventually placed eighth.

Former world mountain running champion Kate McIlroy suffered a puncture on the bike that ended her World Cup debut on the wrong note.

- NZPA