Spirig wins a thriller

Gold medallist Nicola Spirig (R) of Switzerland crosses the finish line of the women's triathlon just ahead of Sweden's Lisa Norden (L) in central London yesterday.Photo: AFP

Switzerland's Nicola Spirig won the closest Olympic women's triathlon in history on Saturday, pipping Sweden's Lisa Norden for gold after a dramatic photo finish.
Spirig and Norden were neck-and-neck as they hit the finishing tape in 1hr 59min 48sec after a desperate sprint to the line following a gruelling 1.5km swim, 43km bike ride and 10km run around the picturesque Hyde Park course.
Australia's Erin Densham, just two-hundredths of a second behind, took bronze. British favourite Helen Jenkins dropped off the pace in the final lap and finished fifth, with America's Sarah Groff fourth.
Olympic triathlons have previously been decided by tiny margins, but none quite matches Spirig and Norden's despairing lunge as they collapsed over the line.
Spirig, 30, had a nervous wait before she was confirmed as Switzerland's second Olympic triathlon champion, after Brigitte McMahon's win -- by two-hundredths of a second -- at Sydney 2000.
"Crossing the finish line, I had a feeling that I won but I wasn't really sure so I really needed an official to tell me and it took a few minutes -- they were really hard," said the three-time European champion.
She added: "As an athlete, this is the highest I can reach -- Olympic gold medal is just the dream of almost every athlete. It's just amazing and it still hasn't sunk in yet. I'm a bit speechless."
In cool, damp conditions, the plans of hosts Great Britain looked to be working to perfection as Lucy Hall, picked for her strong swimming, took the lead by the first turn on Hyde Park's Serpentine lake.
Cheered by big lakeside crowds and a packed grandstand, Hall was first onto the bikes on 18 minutes, followed by Denmark's Line Jensen, Japan's Mariko Adachi and Pamela Oliveira of Brazil.
But Oliveira wiped out on a slippery left-hander near Buckingham Palace -- and the same corner soon claimed half-a-dozen other riders, including Australia's 2008 bronze-medallist Emma Moffatt who was forced to retire.
Hall rode at or near the front of a 20-strong lead group during the 43km bike race, forcing the pace to tire other competitors and set up Jenkins for the 10km run, which is her strong suit.
But Spirig, Densham, New Zealand's Andrea Hewitt, and Australian Emma Jackson remained in close attendance as they completed seven laps of a challenging course set around one of London's most historic parks.