WOLLONGONG, Australia — Germany’s Lisa Tertsch fulfilled her considerable potential, breaking away from a star-studded field Sunday to win the elite women’s race at the World Triathlon Championship finals and to become world champion for the first time.
Tertsch was near the head of the field for most of the 1.5 kilometers swim, 40 kilometer cycle and 10 kilometer run, finishing strongly to beat Bianca Seregni of Italy by 14 seconds. Emma Lombardi of France finished third 26 seconds behind Tertsch.
Olympic champion Cassandre Beaugrand of France and Beth Potter of Britain came into the finals tied atop the world championship points standings with Tertsch in fourth place overall. But Sunday’s win catapulted Tertsch into first place.
The 26-year-old Harvard-educated Tertsch was a member of the gold medal-winning German team in the mixed team relay at last year’s Paris Olympic Games and has twice been an event winner on the world championship circuit.
Tertsch led after the first lap of the swim, was in second after the second lap but led out of the first transition into the cycle leg. Beaugrand of France was third at that stage and only a second down on Tertsch.
A six-rider breakaway group formed during the cycle leg including Tertsch, Beaugrand, Potter, Seregni, Emma Lombardi of France and Britain’s Jessica Fullagar. Tertsch was second but only two seconds behind Lombardi after the second transition.
Beaugrand began to fade early in the run and eventually was forced to withdraw. Potter also dropped back, leaving Tertsch, Seregni, Lombardi and Fullagar to fight out the race.
A former cross-country star, Tertsch showed her fitness in the final lap, surging away from Seregni. She finished atop the world championship standings with 3,886.26 points ahead of Leonie Periault of France with 3,577.04 with Potter third. Taylor Spivey of the United States took fourth place.
