New Zealand qualified three women for the London Olympic Games at the latest ITU World Triathlon Series race in Madrid, Spain this morning (NZT) while Andrea Hewitt did enough to move up to second on the world rankings.
You needed eyes on the front, middle and rear and a calculator at hand to follow the races within the race as Germany, New Zealand and Switzerland in particular jostled for the final positions in the top eight nation rankings, and with it three spots on the start line at the London Games in August.
With London very much her focus and with plenty of training miles in her legs, Andrea Hewitt raced steadily, picking off a number of athletes in a strong second half of the run to come home in ninth place and move back to number two on the world rankings, close on the heels of Helen Jenkins (GBR).
The performance from Hewitt was all the more impressive given she was affected by a pollen allergy in Madrid this morning.
But Nicky Samuels achieved the bigger goal on the day, securing a third spot for New Zealand and therefore herself in London with a mature and well paced effort, coming home 15th after also running through close to a dozen competitors in the 10km run.
