Nathan Richmond and Heather Evans beat high-class fields to win the New Zealand Olympic-distance men's and women's triathlon championships in Napier.
Richmond, aged 21, who claimed his second national title in as many weeks, is almost certain to secure a berth at the world championships in Edmonton, in Canada, in July
after crossing the line in 1h 52m 23s, 36s ahead of training partner Kieran Doe.
Sydney-based Evans, aged 23, relished the perfect conditions to take the women's title in 2h 6m 22s, ahead of the runner-up, Olympian Evelyn Williamson, of Wellington.
"My cycling has always been weak and I surprised myself out there on the bike today because it was an extremely challenging course," Evans said.
Evans' win over the 1500m swim, 40km cycle and 10km run also prevented a much-anticipated showdown between her sister, Megan Hall, who impressed with wins over the standard and sprint distance at Mt Maunganui before Christmas, and Williamson.
Richmond and Doe provided the closest contest.
After winning the national sprint triathlon in New Plymouth two weeks ago, Richmond, a sports science student at Auckland University, lead the 159-strong field out of the swim but Doe was second, only 3s behind.
After exchanging the lead on several occasions over the hilly cycle leg, the pair averaged 45 km/h on the flat to extend their lead by seven minutes over the bunch.
Richmond, the 1995 world junior champion, took the lead on the run and maintained a steady pace over the flat course to win ahead of Doe and third-placed Graham O'Grady.
"Things couldn't have gone better for me today," Richmond said.
"The swim was just superb, and the cycle was really challenging but I understand our time was pretty fast and I felt strong heading into the run."
He was especially pleased with his run after a stress fracture in a femur eight months ago had curtailed his training.
- NZPA
