Zaferes lead US women’s podium sweep in Yokohama triathlon

YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Katie Zaferes led an American sweep of the women’s podium in the world series triathlon in Yokohama on Saturday.

Summer Rappaport and Taylor Spivey finished second and third within 77 seconds of Zaferes, earning the fourth podium sweep in series history for the United States. Zaferes has been in all four.

Vincent Luis of France won the men’s race in a blanket finish from Henri Schoeman of South Africa and Bence Bicsak of Hungary. They were separated by five seconds.

Zaferes was fourth out of the 1,500-meter swim, and was in a pack of seven which quickly gained a 30-second lead on the cycle leg.

Zaferes and Rappaport broke from the start of the run, followed by Spivey and Yuko Takahashi. Zaferes charged ahead over the last 500 meters, and Spivey left behind Takahashi only in the last meters to be third.

Luis was also among the leaders after the swim, and found himself in a leading pack of 10 on the 40-kilometer cycle leg. They started the run almost a minute ahead of the chasers.

Luis, Schoeman, Bicsak and Javier Gomez Noya of Spain broke on the run with seven kilometers to go, and only Alex Yee of Britain tried to chase them down. Yee finished fifth.

Luis edged Schoeman, and Bicsak passed Gomez Noya for third.