Triathlon: World champs beckon for Carter

Hamish Carter.

Next year's Commonwealth Games do not figure large in Hamish Carter's immediate thinking.

Fresh from his victory in the Chicago Triathlon yesterday - a year and two days after his stunning Olympic triumph in Athens - Carter poured doubt on his Commonwealth Games aspirations as he considered the upcoming world championships in Japan.

"I want to race the worlds as the world championships, not as a selection race for the Commonwealth Games," said Carter, who beat world No 1, American Hunter Kemper, and fellow New Zealander and world champion/Olympic silver medallist Bevan Docherty, in Chicago.

"I don't agree with the Games selection policy. The first New Zealander at the world championships - and that won't be easy considering Bevan, Kris [Gemmell] and Terenzo [Bozzone] are all going to be there - will be selected. The next selection race is five weeks later. That's too big a gap at this late stage of the season.

"I might have to give the Commonwealth Games a miss."

Carter took the lead 3km from the finish of the final 10km run leg of the Chicago event, and held off Kemper and Docherty.

Earlier, he came out of the water with the main group of 10 who pulled back one of two early pacesetters on the 40km cycle leg and the second 3km into the run.

"It was a similar race to Athens. In many ways, I feel like I'm in the same shape two weeks out from the worlds as I was at the same time before the Olympics," said Carter, who needs a win to complete his set of world championship medals.

"I have previously finished second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Now is the time for gold."

Carter says in one respect the world championships are a more difficult proposition than the Olympics.

"At the Olympics the field was restricted to 50. This time there will be 80 going for the first buoy. There is every chance of getting whacked and going down. It is not easy.

"It is a case of trying to stay out of trouble."

The Chicago race attracted a field of 8000, but most had raced before Carter and the elite field took to the water.

"It is the first time I have raced here. It is nice to do different things, especially as I do little racing in the States. This is one of the biggest races in the US and has been going for 20 years.

"I needed the race. The money - which is not big - was irrelevant," Carter. said. "It was great to see two Kiwis up there again.

"It is hard to take stock and realise the Olympics were over a year ago.

"It's so weird. It almost feels like it never happened. A whole year has passed. I don't know where it has gone."

Carter returns to his base in Victoria, Canada, for a few days before heading to Japan.

Docherty will have a brief time back in his Boulder, Colorado, base before going to Japan to defend his title.