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Findlay wins third straight triathlon

Edmonton’s Paula Findlay edged Helen Jenkins by four seconds to win the triathlon world series event in Kitzbuehel on Sunday and extend her lead at the top of the overall standings.
Austria ITU World Championship TOPIX
Paula Findlay celebrates her third victory of the year at the 2011 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship in Kitzbuhel

KITZBUEHEL, Austria — Edmonton’s Paula Findlay edged Helen Jenkins by four seconds to win the triathlon world series event in Kitzbuehel on Sunday and extend her lead at the top of the overall standings.

Findlay finished in two hours five minutes 52 seconds after pulling away from her British rival in the final 200 metres of the run. It was her third victory in as many races in 2011.

“I’m thrilled again. Wow, that was a real hard race. I was running maximum the whole way,” said Findlay. “It is cool to be able to have done this much , but I go into every race the same and don’t think about that stuff much. I’m just thinking about the individual race every time.”

American Sarah Groff took the bronze in 2:06.27, her first medal of the world series competition.

Findlay had emerged from the swim more than a minute down on the breakaway leaders, Jenkins and Sarah Haskins of the U.S.

The 22-year-old caught Jenkins at the end of the fourth bike leg and powered home. Haskins finished 15th.

Findlay has an overall lead in the world series with 2400 points, ahead of Barbara Riveros Diaz of Chile in second place and Andrea Hewitt in third.

The win is Findlay’s fifth over six races in the last 11 months.

The 22-year-old became the most-winning athlete ever on the world championship series, and only the third women’s triathlete in the world to win three straight races.

Australia’s Emma Carney and Portugal’s Vanessa Fernandez both won three consecutive World Cup starts.