Triathlon Canada —Amelie Kretz runs to silver, Sarah-Anne Brault wins bronze—

MALMO, Swe.—Canada’s Amelie Kretz and Sarah-Anne Brault will head to Rio de Janeiro on a high note after capturing the silver and bronze medals in their final Olympic tune-up race on Saturday in Malmo, Sweden.

The dynamic Canadian duo were at the front of the pack throughout the sprint distance race which combined a choppy 750-metre swim, with 20 kilometres on the bike before wrapping up with a five-kilometre run course at the Malmo ETU Sprint Triathlon European Cup.

The Canucks battled through the difficult conditions to form a lead trio on the run with Poland’s Agnieszka Jerzyk. Kretz, of Blainville, Que., and Quebec City’s Brault, held strong until the final sprint where they couldn’t match a surge put on by Jerzyk.

Kretz, 23, held on for second spot with a time of 59:23.

“It was a pretty challenging race. The conditions were rough with a really choppy swim, a windy and technical bike as well as a windy run,” said Kretz. “It was a great test to see were I am at leading into Rio and great to go through those race processes one more time before the big one in Rio!”

The 26-year-old Brault, who will also make her Olympic debut in Rio, successfully put her training to the test by winning the bronze medal with a time of 59:32.

“I had a lot of fun out there today,” beamed Brault at the finish. “The conditions made for a rough day. That was the choppiest water I have ever swam in. The bike was technical with cobblestones, lots of corners and a bit of rain. I got outsprinted by both girls in the end, but I was happy with the execution today. It was a great hit out there before Rio.”

Poland’s Jerzyk left the Canadians battling for the final two spots on the podium after pulling away down the finishing stretch to the gold medal, clocking the winning time at 59:16.

Calgary’s Jessica Hastings was also in the field and finished 22nd at 1:03:58. Martin Sobey, of Charlottetown, P.E.I., was the only Canadian in the men’s field, placing 42nd at 58:52.

Germany’s Justus Nieschlag won the men’s race with a time of 56:02.

The final member of Canada’s women’s Olympic squad, Kirsten Sweetland, will complete her final tune-up race on home soil at the 2016 ITU Triathlon Montreal World Cup on Sunday.

Triathlon Canada is the governing body for triathlon in the country. Recognized as an Olympic medal sport since 2000 and Paralympic medal sport as of 2016, Triathlon Canada’s mandate is to promote, foster, organize and develop the sport of triathlon, and its related disciplines, in Canada. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com on the Internet.

Complete Results: http://bit.ly/2aHmLWp

 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Chris Dornan

Media and Public Relations

Triathlon Canada

T: 403-620-8731