Matt Hauser has raced brilliantly in Paris to finish seventh, despite an unlucky fall in transition, on the challenging and picturesque triathlon course. His result is the best by an Australian male at the Olympics in 20 years.
Only Greg Bennett’s fourth at Athens 2004 and Mile Stewart’s sixth when the sport made its Olympic debut in 2000 have been higher.
Teammate Luke Willian found the conditions tough and finished 42nd. The 27-year-old knows he couldn’t have done any more and has switched his focus to the Mixed Relay on Monday.
Hauser put himself in a good position all race, leading early in the swim and in the large front on the ride. However, he was unlucky to get clipped and take a tumble coming into the bike to run transition.
Hauser is proud of the way he raced but said it wasn’t his day to get the medal he was aiming for.
“It felt really good from the start. I was really motivated and I didn’t think nerves overtook me too much and I was just really focussed on the task at hand,” Hauser said.
“The swim having so many dynamics and the current really benefited me out there, so I could start with really a lot of confidence.
Hauser was third out of the swim and transition one. He and two other athletes made an early break in the 40km ride before being eventually caught by a small chaser pack and by the final few laps of the ride it was a big pack.
“The bike leg was tooing and frowing with a bit of inconsistency in pacing so that probably affected the front group a little bit.
“I had a bit of a tumble at the start of T2. I really had to recoup myself on the first few laps of the run. I managed to get going on the last lap (2.5km) and pick up a few spots. I always like to build into the run and finish strong. To finish seventh is much better than 24th (Tokyo).
The fall coming into transition could have been worse but it did affect Hauser’s momentum into the crucial start of the run.
“With a slower pace bike everybody revs it up on the last half lap and tensions get a bit high and testosterone kicks. A wheel in front kind of cut across and cut my front wheel out from beneath me,” he said.
“I fell and then had to bounce right back up and pick my bike up. It affected me a little bit but you know the adrenaline got me going – I’ve come back from worse.”
Hauser doesn’t think the fall cost him a medal but proved that today wasn’t his day.
“It probably affected my momentum, but you know I raced the way I really wanted to race, hard from the start. It was a shame about that bike but you know I finished strong in the run and a top 10 finish is pretty good.
“You know I set my sights high and I really wanted a medal and I knew I was capable of that but it just wasn’t my day.”
Willian had a difficult swim, battling the current and competitors, and despite pushing from the front in his chase pack, he couldn’t reconnect with the large lead pack on the bike.
“I got jammed up (in the swim) and didn’t have much room to move. It’s a tough day to catch back up, especially in that current,” Willian said.
“The current was solid, the problem was we kept getting stuck behind people and the only way to go around people was in the middle and that’s where the current was stronger. It was a tough day for everyone in the swim but I’m grateful we got to swim, especially with the rain last night.”
The rain had cleared and the roads were drier by the time the men raced, compared to the women’s, so there was less chance of falling. However, the pace was on up front, and despite pushing hard on the bike, Willian couldn’t get across to the lead group of 30 or so athletes.
Willian took a lot from the experience.
“You can’t have an off day when you’re racing with the best in the world. It was definitely the biggest crowd I’ve ever raced in front of, and I had so many family friends back home watching as well as out here, so that’s pretty special and made a hard day a little easier,” he said.
Willian has another opportunity to produce his best in Paris with the mixed relay on Monday.
“I’m excited for the relay. It’s a chance to race again and prove myself and it’s exciting racing with the team. It’s going to be a really fast day,” he said.
Earlier, in the day Sophie finished 21st, while Natalie Van Coevorden performed well to finish 42nd, but like Willian, was impacted by a poor swim. The four athletes will now recover and keep themselves healthy before the mixed relay on Monday.
