SALINAS, Ecuador — Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.) earned her first career World Cup podium on Sunday, racing to a silver medal at the Salinas ITU Triathlon World Cup in Ecuador. The performance comes at the end of a standout season in which Gorman has also claimed the Under-23 World Championship title and collected two CAMTRI American Cup podiums.

The Salinas race was the last sprint-distance stop on the 2017 ITU World Cup circuit, covering a 750-meter swim, four-lap, 20-kilometer bike and three-lap, 5-kilometer run. 

Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes was first out of the water in 9 minutes, 30 seconds, but Gorman, Minami Kubono of Japan and Diana Castillo of Colombia were right on her heels. The top four swimmers formed into a lead pack on the bike, holding strong until a group of 10 chasers reeled them in on the bell lap. With 14 women entering transition together, the medals would be decided on the run. 

Ecuador’s Elizabeth Bravo fed off the energy of a hometown crowd, taking an immediate lead on the run and widening her gap with each passing lap. After a blistering 16:17 5k, she broke the tape on home soil in 57:48. Gorman, chasing hard with her first World Cup medal on the line, ran a 16:39 and claimed silver in 58:07. Brazil’s Luisa Baptista rounded out the podium in 58:19.

All three women were touching the ITU World Cup podium for the first time.

“Coming off U23 Worlds, I was excited for this race after not having a good race in the last World Cup in Sarasota,” Gorman said. “I just wanted to end this year with a bang, and it was good!”

Also competing for the U.S. was Brittany Warly (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who earned a top-20 finish in her first career World Cup with a time of 1:00:37.

In the men’s race, the win went to Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales, marking his first World Cup medal of the season. Felix Duchampt of France took the silver, and Manoel Messias of Brazil claimed bronze. Collin Chartier (Fairfax, Va.) led the American effort with a 28th-place finish.

Ramón Armando Matute of Ecuador led out of the swim in 9:07, but the field was tightly packed and no one athlete gained a clear advantage. A large group of more than 20 men, including Chartier, headed out onto the bike together. The peloton stayed in formation for the entire four-lap course, making for a busy second transition.

Grajales and Duchampt pulled ahead on the first lap of the run, establishing themselves as the top two while Messias, Diogo Sclebin of Brazil, Irving Perez of Mexico and Taylor Forbes of Canada battled for bronze.

Grajales had the legs to outsprint Duchampt in the final meters, crossing the line for the win in 52:08. The Frenchman came through for silver in 52:14, and Messias gutted it out for bronze in 52:24.

Chartier was just over a minute back from the podiums, finishing in 53:36 for 28th place. Also racing for the U.S. were Michael Arishita (Boerne, Texas), who took 46th in 55:45, and Andrew Roos (Redwood City, Calif.), who was 54th in 56:56.

The 2017 ITU World Cup season concludes next Saturday with an Olympic-distance stop in Miyazaki, Japan. Start lists are available at triathlon.org.

2017 Salinas ITU Triathlon World Cup
750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run

Elite Women — Complete Results
1. Elizabeth Bravo (ECU), 57:48
2. Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.), 58:07
3. Luisa Baptista (BRA), 58:19

U.S. Finishers
2. Tamara Gorman (Rapid City, S.D.), 58:07
20. Brittany Warly (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:00:37

Elite Men — Complete Results
1. Crisanto Grajales (MEX), 52:08
2. Felix Duchampt (FRA), 52:14
3. Manoel Messias (BRA), 52:24

U.S. Finishers
28. Collin Chartier (Fairfax, Va.), 53:36
46. Michael Arishita (Boerne, Texas), 55:45
54. Andrew Roos (Redwood City, Calif.), 56:56

About USA Triathlon
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