Andrea Hewitt broke her way onto the scene winning the 2005 under23 world championships in Gamagori, Japan and has since gone on to bigger and better things. 2008 saw Hewitt put in a strong performance at the Beijing Olympic Games, tracking Emma Snowsill for the first lap on the run, and her experiences over the past few years have certainly helped her in becoming a real threat at the top of the senior ranks.
Profile
Name: Andrea Hewitt
Age: 27
Born: Christchurch, New Zealand
Lives: Christchurch, New Zealand
Website: www.andreahewitt.com
Hewitt’s season started with disaster as she finished 39th in Tongyeong following a crash on the bike; however she bounced back in style. Making her move in the home straight the Kiwi overhauled Lisa Norden to win in Madrid before going on to take third in Kitzbühel and second in Yokohama. Sixth place in Washington, DC makes up her third place ranking points.
Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series Rankings
1 Emma Moffatt, AUS. 3140pts
2 Lisa Norden, SWE. 3020pts
3 Andrea Hewitt, NZL. 2766pts
4 Daniela Ryf, SUI. 2374pts
5 Sarah Haskins, USA. 2189pts
How Andrea Hewitt can storm back to win:
If the Kiwi can storm to victory at the last race then Moffatt must finish sixth or worse with Norden in fifth place or worse to give the New Zealander the world championship. Neither are out of the question, especially if Hewitt can find herself in a breakaway at the head of the race.
Backing up the New Zealand assault on the podium is Kris Gemmell who has enjoyed a flurry of good results to place himself with a chance of landing the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship title on Gold Coast. Having cut his foot just before the Beijing Olympic Games the Kiwi may feel he has something to prove and is a real threat to Brownlee and Gomez.
Profile
Name: Kris Gemmell
Age: 33
Born: Napier, New Zealand
Lives: Palmeston North, New Zealand
Website: www.gemmell.co.nz
Gemmell was in fine form early on in the year taking fourth place in Tongyeong, however things took a turn for the worse with a retirement in Madrid followed by a crash in Kitzbühel, where he finished ninth. Needing three strong performances in the remaining races the New Zealander landed seventh in Hamburg before two trips to the podium with third in London and second in Yokohama, where he outsprinted Javier Gomez.
Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series Rankings
1. Alistair Brownlee, GBR. 3200pts
2. Javier Gomez, ESP. 2849pts
3. Kris Gemmell, NZL. 2559pts
4. Maik Petzold, GER. 2493pts
5. Laurent Vidal, FRA. 2404pts
How Kris Gemmell can continue his form to the Grand Final:
If the Kiwi can muster victory at the final race of the series he will require Brownlee to finish in tenth or worse and Gomez finishes fifth or worse if he is to storm back to win the Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series.