As the dust settles after the 2009 Madrid Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship race, we take a look at what the athletes are saying following their exertions in the Spanish heat.

Women’s runner-up, Sweden’s Lisa Norden:
So close so close. But the camera said Andrea was the winner… so I guess I have to settle for second. Anyway, it was a great outcome for my first race back. To be on the podium is a win in itself - and I highly enjoy it. This is the reason of why I spend hours and hours of training…
I had a good solid swim which put me in the first bike pack. This has been my main focus over winter so I’m stoked to have improved my swimming to that level. The bike felt easy and I didn’t have to spend too much energy. I knew my fitness for running wasn’t the best and I wanted to save as much as possible for the finishing leg.

Coming in to the last corner I had the inside and took it out hard. I thought I was clear until the very last meters where Andrea came up on my inside. I gave everything that was left in the tank, but it wasn’t quite enough… Still happy and still had a great day of racing. Thanks everyone who was cheering for me - on site as well as in front of the computer!
Check out her website, www.lisanorden.se/wordpress

Men’s runner-up, Courtney Atkinson from Australia:
The result was great on two fronts; firstly made amends for my not so great start to the series in Sth Korea (only time off the podium so far this year) and secondly, in the past I have normally struggled traveling to Europe and then racing straight away. I arrived in Madrid on the Monday before the race so had some time to adjust and recover, but still always a bit weary come the late afternoon race when it is past midnight back down under.

The result on the weekend jumped me up to #3 in the World Championship Series race and my next outing will be in Des Moines, Iowa at the end of the month where I will race two races on the one weekend. First the individual Olympic Distance ITU race, then the next day the World Teams Championships.
Follow Courtney’s progress via www.courtneyatkinson.com.au

Olympic Champion, Jan Frodeno from Germany:
Well, after the weekend’s race, I can say one down, still four to go. Even though I initially only intended on doing 4 of the 7 World Champ Series races (plus the final) a 10th place is not really what I had in mind ;)

All in all I have to be happy with the performance though, as the only thing I have to confront myself with, is having messed up the swim! Going into the race I knew this was my weak-point after a long break away from the pool after Beijing, mainly because I needed it mentally.

Now then it is time to go back to the drawing board and work on some basics for Washington, which is already in three weeks (time really flies when you’re having fun).
Frodeno’s website, www.frodeno.com, is in both German and English.

2008 World Cup Series Champion, Samantha Warriner:
I was feeling good before the race and so much more relaxed than before Korea so I was really pleased, however I do not know what happened but I had the worst swim of my life, I exited the water in third to last position, 90 seconds down from the lead. I have no excuses; I just do not know what happened. Anyway getting out third from last is not the most motivating, but I was pleased with myself mentally as I said what can I do now and it was to ride as hard as I could. So I did. I basically time trialled the whole way round trying to catch the front. By the end of the bike I had managed to claw back some of the deficit but it is hard when you are doing all the work yourself and the lead group are sharing the work load.

I jumped off the bike in 14th and ran really strongly, I posted the fastest run split and took a minute out of the leaders.  I needed another lap and I would have got to them. However, it does not matter having the fastest run split when you finish seventh.

I’d like to say that I was stoked for Andrea, especially in such a tight finish. With Bevan first in Tongyeong and now Andrea, Triathlon in NZ is on a real wave at the moment!
Read Sam’s blog on www.samwarriner.co.nz