Athletics: Docherty in giant's footsteps

Taupo's Fiona Docherty followed in the footsteps of the great Erin Baker in winning the arduous Powerman Zofingen long-distance duathlon in Switzerland yesterday.

Docherty, in her first attempt at the race considered the toughest of all endurance events, grabbed the lead just 3km from the finish.

Christchurch's Mark Bailey, the national duathlon champion, finished 11th in the men's race in his first attempt over the long distance.

The Zofingen event, the unofficial world long-distance duathlon championship, covered a 10km run, 150km bike ride over some challenging hills and a final 30km run.

Baker won the Zofingen title twice, with Debbie Nelson the only other New Zealander to conquer this event since, with victory in 1999.

The win was Docherty's first in a major international, following closely on the success of her brother Bevan, who is ranked No 3 in the world.

The jump to the long distance on such challenging terrain was new territory for Docherty, who last week gave credit for her international improvement to her new coach this year, former two-time world triathlon champion Jenny Rose.

Hungary's Erika Csomor, the 2001 world short course duathlon champion, grabbed the lead just 4km into the 30km run, with Docherty moving into third place halfway through the first 15km lap.

Docherty took the lead 3km from the end, finishing 42 seconds ahead of Csomor in 7h 37m 47s, with Scotland's Bella Comerford, the reigning Ironman Florida champion, third.

She will take a well-earned break before returning home to prepare for the SBS World Triathlon Championships in Queenstown in December.

Meanwhile, in California, Kapiti Coast triathlete Evelyn Williamson has finished fifth in the Pacific Grove International triathlon.

Taupo's Bryan Rhodes was seventh in the men's race, won by four-time world champion Simon Lessing, of Britain.