Aust, NZ take bronze in team triathlon

Australia and New Zealand have settled for bronze in team triathlon at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing after the Oceania team lost their lead.

Kiwi triathlete Elizabeth Stannard says she feels like she let Australia down after losing the lead they gave the Oceania team at the Youth Olympic Games.

Australia and New Zealand settled for bronze but looked set to win gold in team triathlon on Thursday before they were overtaken by two European teams.

The two nations had combined to represent Oceania against five European teams, four American teams, three Asian teams, two World teams and one African team.

Australia's individual gold medallist Brittany Dutton, 16, was the first to finish her course and gave Oceania a 21 second lead.

But she earned the team a 10sec penalty for not storing her goggles properly after the swim.

Dutton tagged Victorian Jack Stekelenburg, 17, who kept Oceania's lead before handing over the race to Kiwi Elizabeth Stannard.

The 17-year-old fell into third place after France's Emilie Morier from Europe 1 and Spain's Carmen Gomez Cortes from Europe 3 overtook her on the bike.

Europe 1 - whose team boasts three medallists - went on to take gold, and silver went to Europe 3.

"I was disappointed they caught me on the bike," said Stannard.

"I kind of feel like I let down the team a bit because I was the one that everyone caught up."

Aucklander Daniel Hoy, who closed the race, says Stannard and van Stekelenburg did better in the team event than the individual triathlon.

"Lizzie and Jack had a really good race," he said.

"They will be happy to have had another race and prove what they actually can do."

Hoy, who took silver in the boy's triathlon in a photo finish with the winner, said having to take the team's 10sec penalty in his run was difficult.

"I don't think I made any time up (cycling) and when I got in the run my legs had nothing in them," he said.

"I'd prefer not to take the penalty but I still got the bronze."

Dutton says Stannard has nothing to feel bad about, and is glad she is taking home another medal.

"We still got a medal. We tried our hardest and there's nothing else we can do."


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