Morrison set herself up well in the swim, exiting the water in second position. Fellow TI elite athlete Emma Davis also swam well and both remained in the lead pack of 17 throughout the bike leg.
Proving herself to be a serious contender for the 2012 London Olympics, Morrison produced a strong run performance and surprised many more experienced athletes who finished behind the Derry girl. During her post race interview, she broke into tears, thanking the Irish crowd for their support.
It was a disappointing run performance for Davis, who was also challenged by receiving a 15 sec penalty for a transition infringement. The Beijing Olympian finished in 26th position.
Development athlete Kerry Spearing produced a solid performance and persisted with mechanical difficulties to finish in 31st place.
Switzerland’s Nicola Spirig won the event in a time of 1’57″58, from France’s Carole Peon and Sweden’s Lisa Nordern. Full results are available here.
Earlier in the day, TI junior development squad athlete Laura Casey was very unlucky in the Elite Junior Womens event. In second place, Casey’s rear wheel was clipped and damaged by a fellow competitor, forcing her to change the wheel. She unfortunately lost valuable time in doing so, but recovered to finish strongly.
