Multisport: Carter gives his all for fourth

Hamish Carter is looking forward to the Commonwealth Games "because the team thing at the Games is just the best". Andrea Hewitt won gold in the under-23 race. Picture / Sportshoot

Hamish Carter's quest to nestle a world championship gold medal in the cabinet alongside his Olympic gong is over.

But a fourth in sweltering conditions at Gamagori, Japan, yesterday books him a trip to the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in March.

He joins Northland phys-ed teacher Sam Warriner, whose 16th placing in the women's elite race a few hours earlier was enough to get her to Melbourne as well.

Carter, 34, gave it everything in a bid to give an excellent world champs CV a golden flourish at the last attempt. He's had eight top 10 placings, including a second, third, fourth (twice), fifth (twice) and sixth, but the win has always eluded him.

Australia's Peter Robertson got a break on the run and hung on to win his third world crown. In a double replay of the world championship at Queenstown in 2003, Robertson and fellow Australian Emma Snowsill took the elite titles. It was Snowsill's second world championship.

But if the Olympic champion was despondent at missing the gold to back up his stunning triumph in Athens, he hid it well last night.

"I thought I raced really well today and did everything I could. On the day it was really good but not fast enough," Carter said.

"I am so thrilled to make the Commonwealth Games because the team thing at the Games is just the best."

Robertson held off Swiss athlete Reto Hug to win in 1h 49m 32s, 4s ahead of Hug and 12s quicker than bronze medallist Brad Kahlefeldt of Australia. Carter was 5s off bronze.

The next best New Zealander was Taranaki's Shane Reed in 11th.

Auckland's Terrenzo Bozzone was 27th after challenging for the lead early on the run.

Kris Gemmell was 38th but Olympic silver medallist Bevan Docherty, suffering illness, and Nathan Richmond failed to finish.

Carter thought he had a chance on the run, despite not feeling his best in the heat.

"I almost caught Hug and Brad with a lap to go but my legs just could not go fast enough."

New Zealand has three spots for both men and women at the Games in Melbourne. There will be a trial over the Games course at St Kilda next month to fill the other places.

Warriner, ranked No 3 going into the championships, was delighted to qualify for Melbourne, but disappointed she did not figure in the running. She missed catching the leaders out of the swim and the chase pack were not on the job.

World No 2 Snowsill headed off the world No 1, compatriot Annabel Luxford, by 1m 39s, winning in 1h 58m 3s. American Laura Bennett was third.

"Overall I am disappointed that it just didn't happen for me today," Warriner said. "We had a chance to bridge up to the leaders but the pack just did not want to work."

Auckland's Debbie Tanner, in her first world elite race, was 19th, with Kapiti's Evelyn Williamson 23rd.

There were medals for New Zealand women in the age-group categories.

Christchurch's Andrea Hewitt won the gold in the under-23 race, remarkably just her fourth triathlon.

She produced a strong run, which got her to the tape 33s ahead of Czech Republic competitor Vendula Frintova in 2h 03m 08s.

Hewitt, a former national surf-lifesaving representative, took up the sport only a year ago. She described her running leg in succinct terms.

"I just took off, in the lead, and ran scared," she said. "A few of the girls were catching up to me in the end but that was that."

Rangitoto College student Rebecca Spence, at 16 the youngest member of the New Zealand team, was second in the under-19 women's race. The national secondary schools' duathlon champion clocked the fastest run of the race but could not haul in Portuguese Anais Moniz's advantage.

Moniz won the gold in 1h 1m 18s, with Spence 21s back, and Australia's Melanie Sexton third a further 5s back. Spence was the only athlete of the field of 46 to run below 18 minutes for the 5km final leg, clocking 17m 52s.

"Anything to beat those Aussie girls," Spence quipped when asked if she was happy with the silver medal. "I came out of the water and there were a couple of Aussie girls in front and I wanted to run them down."