11 Age Groupers Medal at Short Course Duathlon Worlds in Rimini, Italy

U.S. athletes took home 11 medals at the 2008 International Triathlon Union Short Course Duathlon World Championships in Rimini, Italy on September 28-29.

The medal haul – which included three gold, four silver, and four bronze – surpassed the 10 medals won in 2007.

A total of 216 age groupers represented Team USA, among the 900 competitors from countries around the world.

Eight U.S. athletes (five men, three women) competed in the elite races, which featured heavy winds along the 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run course. Top U.S. finishes went to Matt Russell, who finished 22nd in a time of 1:53:33 in the men's race, and Bianca Simpson, who finished 16th in the women's race with a time of 2:14:03. Grayson Cobb finished 33rd for the junior men with a time of 1:03:17 on the 5k run, 20k bike, 2.5k run course. No athletes represented the U.S. in the U23 races.

The age group course also featured a 10k run, 40k bike, 5k run in cool and rainy conditions in the morning that had warmed to the 70s and dried up by the afternoon. Athletes traversed a mostly flat run course that featured 25 turns and four laps over the first 10k. The six-lap bike course was also flat. The final 5k run consisted of two laps.

Leading the U.S. competitors were four athletes who repeated their podium performances from 2007. Edwin Bixenstine (Kent, Ohio) earned gold in the men's 80-84 division with a time of 3:16:31, Catherine Satzke (Fair Haven, N.J.) was a gold medalist in the women's 35-39 age group in 2:16:03, Diane Proud (Irving, Texas) won bronze in the women's 55-59 category in 2:40:49, and Kerri Robbins (Davidsonville, Md.) took home a bronze in the women's 35-39 age group with a time of 2:16:58.

Satske and Robbins finished fourth and sixth overall, respectively. Robbins, Bixenstine, and Proud won medals for the third straight year.

Other medalists included Kelsey Markham (Collierville, Tenn.) with gold in the women's 18-19 age group in 2:26:37, Suzanne Huelster (Riverton, N.J.), who finished second overall with silver in the women's 30-34 age group in 2:12:30, Edward Maruna (Arvada, Colo.) with a silver in the men's 80-84 division in 3:40:10, Ellouise Morse (Anacortes, Wash.) with silver in the women's 65-69 age group in 3:00:55, Christine Knight (Grangeville, Idaho) with silver in the women's 40-44 category in 2:21:27, Kathleen Hayden (Rochester, N.Y.) with bronze in the women's 40-44 age group in 2:22:15, and John Kipper (Annapolis, Md.) with bronze in the men's 20-24 age group in 2:04:50.

Complete results are available at the ITU website. (use the drop-down menu on the top right of the page to select the results from each age group)