Multisports: Next stop Beijing for smiling Sam

After the frustrations of Athens and Manchester before that, Samantha Warriner knew she had few chances left to prove what she knew to be true: That she was a world-class triathlete.

"I just thought 'right, if you want to do it, this is your chance, Warriner. You're never going to get a chance like this again'. It paid off."

Paid off in spades. Warriner came home second in the triathlon yesterday - and that was just the start of the good news.

Following in her wake was under-23 world champion Andrea Hewitt, who just pipped third New Zealander Debbie Tanner for bronze at the line. And although born on the Gold Coast, Australian winner Emma Snowsill's father hails from the Wairarapa.

"I didn't think I had that great a swim. I didn't go hard enough. But I just went hard and got on the lead group on the cycle," Warriner said.

The Kiwis largely stuck together in the cycle but Warriner said there was no preconceived race plan. "We were looking out for each other, making sure we were all there."

They had few problems hooking into the lead bunch on the four-lap, flat cycle course. favourite Snowsill kept trying to force the pace but it was difficult to make a meaningful break without a hill.

On the penultimate bike lap, England's Julie Dibens had a brief dart but the 14-strong bunch had no intention of letting her go.

Hewitt seemed to have been given the role of domestique for Warriner, the under-23 world champion ensuring there was enough pace on the nose of the bunch.

Before the first lap was out, the bunch had been whittled to four - Snowsill, Warriner, Hewitt and England's Liz Blatchford. As the bell for the final lap went, Blatchford had been dropped.

For a moment it looked uncannily like Athens '04. With the bunch split and three runners in a 10km 'sprint for gold' there were two black, silver-ferned singlets in the mix. For a moment Warriner thought she might have Snowsill. Unfortunately the moment lasted just one kilometre of the 10km run.

"She's an outstanding athlete and came into this race prepared. I knew she'd be strong but I was a bit disappointed I didn't hold on longer. I'm pleased to get silver."

Almost as pleasing for Warriner was the team trifecta of second, third, fourth.

"This is brilliant," said the 34-year-old, who until last year taught PE fulltime at Whangarei Girls' High School. "For the last four weeks we've been together in Canberra. It's brilliant having those two [Hewitt and Tanner] coming through. I'm so much older than them but hopefully they won't beat me until I retire.

"They keep me training harder and harder and I keep getting better and better."

Retirement could be some way off. Flushed with yesterday's success, Warriner gave an instant affirmative as to whether she would launch a campaign for Beijing.

"Yes, yes, yes. No maybes about it." But that is for the future - she wants some time to enjoy the present to the full.

She grabbed a phone and made a call to her coach in Whangarei, Murray Healey. "We did it," she said. "I can do anything now."

-HERALD ON SUNDAY