HUATULCO, Mex.— A four-pack of Canadian triathletes joining two veterans with a couple of World Cup rookies combined to win the bronze medal in the mixed team relay at the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco, Mexico Sunday morning.
Commonwealth Games athletes, Martin Sobey (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Dominika Jamnicky (Guelph, Ont.) sandwiched two rising stars in Canadian triathlon – Sophia Howell (Airdrie, Alta.) and Mathis Beaulieu (Quebec City) – to deliver the third-place finish for the Canucks, clocking a time of 1:24:32.
“It was a very solid day for Team Canada after a quick turnaround from the individual race last night,” said Sobey. “We all did our jobs and Domi finished it off with a clutch final leg to get us on the podium.”
“I’m so proud of our team winning the bronze medal today,” said the 30-year-old Jamnicky, who posted a fifth-place result in Saturday’s individual race. “Martin, Sophia and Mathis all rocked their legs to set me up for the final push.”
The mixed relay race format debuted at the 2020 Olympic Summer Games in Tokyo. An action-packed, spectator-friendly event consists of teams of two women and two men. Each athlete completes a 300m swim, 6.6km bike and a 1.5km run before tagging off to their teammate to take on the next leg.
Sobey took on the opening leg where he was in third position while battling through the morning heat. Two Canadian youngsters competing in their first World Cup races – Howell, 21, and the 18-year-old Beaulieu, kept the Canadians in the podium fight while taking on the middle two legs before Jamnicky threw down a solid anchor leg to grab three spots on the field, and claim the bronze.
“I found myself in a similar position to yesterday – in a three way battle for the podium. Seeing the team cheering me on was just what I needed to secure the bronze,” beamed Jamnicky.
The United States team took top spot on the podium with a time of 1:23:01. Mexico was second at 1:23:14.
Complete World Triathlon Cup Mixed Team Relay Results:
Canada’s triathlon community will now head to Montreal to pay host to the World Triathlon Championship Series, June 24-25.
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