Non Stanford and Vicky Holland expressed their delight after second and third place finishes at the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Chicago secured their spots at Rio 2016.
The pair battled hard but in the end couldn’t snatch victory away from the impressive Gwen Jorgensen of the USA – Jodie Stimpson and Helen Jenkins coming in sixth and 11th.
All four Brits swam well and were in a lead pack on the bike but the top three broke away on the run before Jorgensen produced a brilliant kick to break away.
Stanford and Holland held on however and defended their positions to seal their spots on the podium and, in turn, book their tickets to Rio.
“You never want to enter a race not aiming to win it,” said Holland. “But getting on the podium was a win for me. That’s absolutely everything I wanted to do today. I’m delighted, I’ve done it.”
“Her [Jorgensen’s] kick is something else at the moment. She’s the target, she’ll know that and we’ve got a year to work on it.”
For Stimpson it was the best race of her season after coming back from an injury-hit campaign but for performance director Brendan Purcell the day belonged to Stanford and Holland.
“Non and Vicky have met the selection criteria so that takes the pressure of them now. Subject to approval from TeamGB next year, they’re on the team.
“It was an exceptional performance, and from Jodie and Helen as well, especially considering how little they’ve raced this season.”
© Sportsbeat 2015