From CBC Sports - Spain’s Javier Gomez used a strong performance in the men’s elite event to earn the gold medal at the triathlon world championship Sunday in Vancouver. Victoria’s Simon Whitfield, the defending Olympic gold medallist, crossed the finish line in sixth place.

Whitfield started out strong but admitted to fading somewhat as the race progressed. He was the first man out of the water and stayed within a pack of about 15 men as he made the transition from biking to running. Running is usually Whitfield’s strength, but on Sunday he dropped back in the pack.

"That was tough, very tough," said Whitfield, who crashed across the finish line and lay flat on his back for several minutes after posting a time of 1:50.27.90.

"I had an incredible swim. I swallowed half the ocean. I felt good on the bike until about two laps to go. I think I need a little more strength in this final block. I went from feeling great to actually struggling a bit."

Edmonton’s Paul Tichelaar also posted a strong result with a ninth-place finish.

Tichelaar’s ninth-place result was undoubtedly bittersweet. This put him just short of the top eight, which is the standard Triathlon Canada uses to guarantee an Olympic team spot. He remained confident that his performance against the world’s best was good enough to get him to Beijing.

"With that much pressure I put on myself, you really set yourself up for a great day or a miserable day," said Tichelaar, who was timed in 1:50.32.31. "I think my performance today I’ll put down in the great race column."

On the womans’ side Great Britain’s Helen Tucker beat American Sarah Haskins in a sprint to the finish line to win the gold medal.

The top Canadian was Montreal’s Kathy Tremblay, who finished 21st in 2:05.24.85. Carolyn Murray of St. Albert, Alta., was 24th in 2:05.46.66, while Lauren Groves of Vancouver 33rd in 2:06.37.08. Victoria’s Kirsten Sweetland, who ran the race with a frozen left foot due to an injury, still finished 38th in 2:07.49.49.

Olympic spots were on the line for all of the Canadian triathletes except for Whitfield and Groves, who already had earned a spot on the Canadian Olympic team.

With no Canadian women achieving the top-eight standard needed to automatically secure an Olympic spot, Triathlon Canada will select the rest of the team, which will be announced Monday.

The temperatures were a factor in the opening 1.5-kilometre swim in the chilly waters of English Bay. Competitors then completed a 140-kilometre bicycle ride and finished with a 10-km run through Vancouver’s West End.