Ahead of the Best

Taupo-born Olympic triathlete Bevan Docherty, 33, has won the opening race of the ITU Dextro Energy World Champs Series in Sydney. Docherty, a two-time Olympic medallist, pulled away from the chase pack halfway through the run leg to overtake race leaders, France’s Tony Moulai and American Matt Chrabot, finishing comfortably in a time of 1:51.27. “This is awesome; it is great to start the season like this, especially in Sydney,” Docherty said. “I remember back in 2000 I was watching Simon [Whitfield] crossing the line in the Olympics and I thought how cool would that be to be there one day … This is just such a buzz, such a great feeling, amongst the best in my career.” New Zealand’s leading female triathlete and world No 3 Andrea Hewitt claimed second in the women’s race. The second race of the world championship series will be held in Seoul on May 8.