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HUATULCO, Mexico — USA Triathlon National Team member Matt Chrabot staged a stunning comeback on the run Sunday to earn his second career Huatulco ITU Triathlon World Cup title.  

After claiming gold in 2009 and bronze a year ago in Huatulco, Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.) came from 30 seconds off the pace midway through the run to lift the tape in 2 hours, 37 seconds for his third consecutive podium finish in the event.

Manuel Huerta (Miami, Fla.) was sixth in 2:02:23, and Sarah Haskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was the top U.S. women’s finisher, taking seventh in 2:14:55.

But the story of the day was Chrabot, who excelled once again in warm-weather racing conditions. As usual, he found himself among the lead pack of 25 riders on a hilly 40-kilometer, eight-lap bike course. However, following a short breakaway, Chrabot went down, unable to avoid a crash in front of him.
 
“I had to stop to fix my brake pads but I managed to get back in the game,” Chrabot said.
 
By the midway point of the run, Chrabot was down 30 seconds to leader Richard Murray of South Africa. On the third of four laps of the 10k run, Chrabot trimmed the lead in half, and on the bell lap he passed Murray, grabbing a lead he would not relinquish en route to a 13-second victory.

“This is what I train for. I train for doing well in hot races,” Chrabot said. “Ideally, I’d like to do well in the cold races because London [for the 2012 Olympics] is not going to be this hot, so I need to also focus on that.”

Murray hung on for silver, while Portugal’s Bruno Pais returned to the podium with bronze, his first World Cup medal since 2006. Japan’s Juri Ide was the women’s winner in 2:12:52.

Visit triathlon.org for a full recap and video highlights. 

Chrabot and Haskins will return to Mexico on Oct. 23 as two of the six Americans slated to compete at the 2011 Pan American Games in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

Huatulco ITU Triathlon World Cup, Oct. 9, 2011
1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run

Women – Click here for complete results
1. Juri Ide (JPN), 2:12:52
2. Annamaria Mazzetti (ITA), 2:13:39
3. Marina Damlaimcourt    (ESP), 2:13:52
7. Sarah Haskins (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2:14:55
26. Amanda Felder (Cupertino, Calif.), 2:22:30

Men – Click here for complete results
1. Matt Chrabot (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2:00:37
2. Richard Murray (RSA), 2:00:50
3. Bruno Pais (POR), 2:01:05
6. Manuel Huerta (Miami, Fla.), 2:02:23
17. Kevin Collington (Boulder, Colo.), 2:03:55
38. Ben Collins (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2:13:43
DNF Chris Foster (Redondo Beach, Calif.)

About USA Triathlon
Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon – one of the fastest growing sports in the world – as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. USA Triathlon sanctions 3,500 races and connects with more than 150,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work with athletes, coaches, and race directors on the grassroots level, USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including ITU World Championships, Pan American Games and the Summer Olympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of the International Triathlon Union and the United States Olympic Committee