Super League Malta: Men’s Eliminator – Stage 3

All the action from Stage 3 of the Men’s Eliminator competition from Super League Triathlon Malta.

The Eliminator tests the resilience, stamina and velocity of the athletes in a pressure-cooker format where field position proves key over timing. Athletes must finish high enough to not be eliminated whilst managing their effort against fatigue. Three stages of traditional swim-bike-run whereby athletes need to hold their ground and watch their backs in each stage to be eventually crowned as the most tenacious and tough athlete on the Super League Circuit.

Stage three of the men’s eliminated the very best of the best of Super League and a good start from school and who is to the right of your screen alongside Johnny Brownlee who said it was a lot longer for him when he was on the low pontoon positions if you like closest to

Screen where Vince Louie years so at the moment it’s cumin who leads out Brownlee to his left Knut I think is to his right yeah there so well this the three on the outside they’re shooting in the movies open and Johnny and then as we come across there is Murray there who’s just

Fighting his way through he just needs to be on someone’s hips or feet couldn’t eat their fur Jer and Louie on the outside who is it just has got enough in the tank to get himself out of any trouble on the swimmy yes good great hundred meters at any point I think to

Use no Johnny to move up around this person right we’re gonna I’m gonna use it now it uses it when he needs it at the moment it’s Muse the Chuck who’s made it his mission to be at the pointy end of each of these stages that’s

That’s a bad tactic for him he should just slot in on Henry’s feet you know and sit there and because he wants Henry to swim as fast as he possibly can so he gets as much ground on the guys behind him and this races has stretched out as

Possible he’s kind of slowing the race down and making it keeping guys like Murray potentially in it you know he won’t if the swimmers tomorrow as well yeah he wants the biggest gap back to Murray as he possibly can Louie is just in a perfect the great position they’re

Exactly where he wants to be and that’s Johnny back there in the fourth place see Murray sorry Louise just for my foot for the feet there he said I want that fee I wanted to be in the easy swing position possible and he’s trying to

Pull him wide a little go back in again now so and he pulled him out to the left to try and get rid of him off his hip and then he’s gone back in and Mitchell just went straight back in on his on his hip no not particularly clever racing

But yeah I think he’s got to do all he can in such a in such a short swim really to stay near the front as well a short swim and a stacked field and Henry scheme and once again leads them out Johnny Brownlee in fourth position having it he’s got a little bit

Of clear water there in the red and down the back end of the field is who we got there leo Murray oh that’s that’s actually Knut they’re just those guys yeah perjury and they’re pretty much you have to swim back there they’re just getting pulled along Mitchell Shooks just going back through

The field and kind of getting in the way here again and you must have a great first hundred meters and then almost go so far into the red yeah I’m not sure what he does after that okay again in resuming off that last boy he yeah

Danger at the back he’s last in the green jersey he’s dead last though we now he’s transitions are remarkable sir and it’s such a swim you know it’s only over a few minutes were they’re doing another lap here and all of a sudden there’s clear water there back to Murray

You know you lose 20 seconds that’d be a game-changer for it yeah he could be in some serious trouble but you know it’s lined out now after a couple of minutes swimming he’s only got a minute left so he’s actually safe you can only lose a

Handful of seconds may be maximum at all changes in transition it seems each time they come through music shot comes out third Brownlee fourth let’s see if he can have a no mishaps through transition scheming leads them in though from Vince Louie I think that’s happening each of

The stages thus far good transitions for Henry squirming and he looks around knows that he’s got a little bit of time Vince Louie the two of them will have a nice little gap means the Chuck and Brownlee coming out is wasting time yeah Johnny did a good job there but a

Lot of it actually trusting is this first bit you know get get your bike moving and then get your feet in and yeah as you see giant canoe it’s just going for he’s just doing and Murray straight in and straight his feet have gone straight in there you know that’s

How he makes up so much time so he can just ride now and he’s got no worry you know he doesn’t have to worry about doing anything with his feet whereas some of these guys I I bet canoes do doesn’t actually have his feet in his shoes unless he stood it somewhere on

That straight which is going to make this hill very interesting for him Tyler mr. sock jumps straight across I saw him looking at them as they ran out of transition he’s jump straight on that back wheel and there’s three away if you don’t have your food eating on this

These guys are right on that boat back at the motor bike here as well which is giving them an advantage up the head went into the hill but yeah Johnny pulling hard to get across the gap and Bank has got his feet in the shoes which is crucial so pretty much neutralized

Now all seven of them together just those guys behind my back to ride a little bit hard to get there and that could come into play later on in this one at the moment it’s squirming who looks back and sees all six of his rivals behind him the

First time down the hill it’s Louie just doing some running repairs on each shoe while he’s got a moment to do so little bit of debris on the tracks blowing on but it doesn’t seem to be bothering anyone squirming from Louie fourth now yeah you know he used the point at which

The race kind of slowed up just to move a few places which is yeah the right thing to do look you know actually it’s pretty slow out that corner so they haven’t really had to make a big effort but they’re all together now yeah it’s basically looking

Around yeah this is shaping up to be an absolute builder of a race seven of the very best and there’s nothing between them through the swim in the first lap of the bike three more laps on the bike three more times up that hill and then

The run up and down and one more up to an uphill finish and there is so much talent so much group around the outside and the cat did you say that you tried to make a bit of a move on the field using the tower wind as well he’s got

Ten meters on human ooze back there I mean it’s a hard move because he’s going round up into the ceiling to the head wouldn’t now and it’s quite a lot easy for the chasers but you never know they just look behind they just look at each

Other for a couple of seconds I don’t like looking behind you commit you commit for the first minute when you do attack you just solutely c’mere otherwise it’s not worth doing it they should also be sweetly cross to be near that little but yeah I’m not being critical no unless you are

You 100% is hit without getting the premises but the good thing is he probably saw that the first lap he was just off the front three so debate about that man he slid he jump it and take advantage of that yeah he didn’t he didn’t slide across like this yeah oh

It’s at the group height though is actually splintered a little bit you know all right let’s have a look at the cat replay there he’s he’s a tabby cat he’s turning from left to right he doesn’t even turn his head he’s does he’s taking Ally Brantley’s advice and

Not turned his head but he is out of there when he sees Johnny I feel like Johnny accelerated when he saw the cat maybe yeah just trying to scare him off save the cat’s life use this tie wind again Johnny and he can boys a barrel it’s all about together

Really I mean the problem he’s got here is it’s so much easier once these guys get rolling on the flat after the spin out of this corner I think you know they’re they can just recover a little bit and they’ve got that extra little bit of power to get up

The hill wins reward rise up on the cobblestones and burn that you didn’t do that she can and well just as we cook to the cat pit it looked like Schumann and Vincent were actually just getting ditched that distance a little bit off the back at the top of

Hill I mean that might be a thing that actually done on purpose to just ease up health and give himself a bit of a breather or it might be a sign that there are struggling who knows that if anyone had the legs now to take it on to

Attack either you know more visit from Murray’s position there that this race could potentially blow all over I think he has another look behind him Johnny Bradley and he sees a bit of cat-and-mouse being played a racer inside it’s been erased – because Ben Canute’s been the one doing all the work

To chase it down to the road – and they’re all following him yeah trying to get someone else to have a go at him yeah that’s sitting up now so potentially about Schumann’s made a bit of a move there on the outside so yeah I think Louise in trouble I think

We would see him there like he said he likes racing from the front and I think we’d see him I mean that’s not to say you won’t pull in a result here he’s racing part of the talent of racing I think he’s racing to the conditions on

The day and if he hasn’t got great legs he’s thinking well if I can energy conserve and most of this race and make it to the last 40 meters then who knows but yeah we’re seeing it it’s splintering Knutson paying for all that work you know and yeah humans Schumer’s

On Johnny and yet it’s making for a really exciting racing the problem for these two is Richard Murray right there in third position he’ll chase everything down yeah but making him chase it down is making him you know work so you know it’s not always a bad thing and this

Course when you’ve got hills like that in a corner it quite often compresses the feel a little bit which is which is what we saw there and Murray’s just looking in exactly the right place they’re you know getting on the wheels doing what he needs to do there’s plenty

Of discussion out there and plenty of tactics and they can’t really get away from each other then Knut doing his best to stay in touch with others right doing what he always does and just flying under the radar in six position and it then if it keeps like this and this is

The fourth of four bike laps we’re all going to arrive and transition at the same time it’s just about who did all the work it’s eased up now it’d be good to see you know from that look so Vincent leads right back in the race yeah there’s a point there I think if

Maury or Schumann had been aggressive you know it could have made for an exciting race but yeah it’s neutralized again Vincent’s exactly where he wants to be although I’m not sure he looks that comfortable but this could this could have just allowed him back in the race both physically and the fact that

It’s made he’s had a breather maybe another go he knows that he probably hasn’t got the legs on the round been canoed he needs to push and really take some energy out of these guys yeah this is a chance this is a chance as they reached the top part of

The course for the last time on the bike and then it’ll be one and a half laps on the run to decide who wins the men’s eliminator what a fantastic shot that is of Malta and surrounds a beautiful country and a beautiful place for a race breaking new ground super league

Triathlon for the last time it is a race in seven as it has always been this last lap is crucially important here this is the proper business end of the race and you don’t want to be too far in that pack going transition more risk of something happening and crash you’re

Getting it wrong and also you’ve lost five seconds straightaway I think you know this transition this next 30 seconds here is gonna be absolutely crucial for the race but typical of Vincent lui to bring himself right up the front as they come in to transition he’s been a bit tardy a superfast

Transition well superfast dismount there he flew off that bike and you know he knows his transition is important and that’s why he’s given everything he’s absolutely crucial losing it and Richard Murray he’s the king of try and Vincent lui was tardy again Shuman actually didn’t like he got its

Shooing first time there so he lost a bit of time but yeah richard most stolen the lead there five seconds and he’s gone straight away Vincent I think he concedes quite labored and Schumann running out fast as well the crowd watching on and watching Richard Murray just put time into them and the

Importance of transition we know it’s important in Super League but that is a classic example just a couple of seconds gap and Richard Murray has gone from mid pack to leading them he’s the first this run look at that gap he’s done it all day you’ve talked about it in stage one

And to his transitions have been far superior to everyone and he’s left himself loose let Henry Schumer’s left himself a lot to do and Vincent lui Nor’easters good head rumors come out really out there actually he came out of transition a bit back and he’s had to go

As hard as he can for that first forged meet is they’re pretty much and I think he’s probably gone out a bit hard Murray’s committed here he’s very committed this is where the questions asked really of Vince Louie he’s all he likes the race from the front and he

Likes to respond and we now have good ears over the last part of Iran can he respond again this one and we know he’s looked maybe not his best but he’s still there are they’re about to see what he’s got here Schumann is already looking

Behind so I think he you know he’s got out hard and he wants to see who’s behind him he’s not so much focused on Murray anymore if couplet glances over his left on shoulder there so yeah I think and again and I think vincent leary he’s probably thinking what can I

Do now over this whole world over whatever it’s going to be against five or six minutes worth of running rather than gassing myself to get back up onto Schumann shoulder and that’d be the end of my race visual shook holding in strong there that’s a big gap that’s a

Big gap we haven’t seen we haven’t seen Richard Murray gap to the front in any of the stages so this is a committed attack us what the illumine gets all they did it before as well he stays mid pack he counts he whites and then he

Pounces what he knows the time is right and this is exactly what he did 18 months ago it’s exactly what he’s doing right now and at the moment only the other South African Henry Sherman is within spitting distance of Richard Mary Anne Murray’s disappearing in the distance Brownlee and mezcla Chuck make

Up the top five and then a big gap back to Leo Bergeron further to be in Knut we haven’t seen anyone run down this hill full pace yet and where we are actually seeing that now you know this is the only time it really matters and the only

Time it’s probably worth doing unless you’re trying to stay off relegation but yeah we saw Marie really launched himself down the hill and we don’t see many down hills like this in in triathlon so it’s interesting to see who’s got got that in them and Schumann actually quite slow

Competitor Louie has been caught Johnny they’re caught straight up on that you know 30 seconds of downhill running they took a fair bit of time into Marie’s away now he’s finally clear yeah he’s clean but those minor placings are all important when it comes to overall ground position overall prize money and

Then championship points going into my orchid next weekend but at the moment the man is going to collect 25 of them the maximum is Richard Murray who is putting in a serious run and taking while sending a message if you like invincible he has responded and he’s working hard he’s stretching the two

Guys out behind him you know we all know he’s got a fantastic finish and he’s doing is doing his best to put the other guys at the pressure before he has to use his kick in that in the last few hundred meters in Shuman’s hanging in

And Johnny’s hanging on him as high as they can but you know these guys are going as hard as they can now and they don’t look very comfortable no they don’t they look more comfortable in fact if I was doing it but at the moment Richard Murray is doing it easy he makes

One more turn and then it’s up molten Mountain for the last time 275 meters between him and a weenie in the men’s eliminator and it doesn’t look like anyone is going to catch him for the minor place in severe vincey’s push motion yeah those guys have spread out

There’s a meter or two between the three each of the three of them there and and that’s yeah I think these are the places probably settled now you won’t want to be trying to catch Vince and Louie on an uphill sprint I don’t think and I think

Humans probably pretty in third this is a massive performance from Richard Murray a massive massive day he was a bit off the pace in Jersey he looked never in it today but unbelievable running absolutely unbelievable running at ease Richard Murray is going to do the job he’s played a tactical master

Class here on the streets of mantri behind and you can see how much it means to him Richard Murray takes the weed in the men’s eliminator in front of a big crowd and he is so happy about it Vince Louie he makes his way in complies he had enough left in the tank

To hold off Henry squirming who comes in third so two South Africans on the podium Johnny browning who’s fought all day come back from multiple small mistakes has run himself in support position and tyler ms lechuck takes few spot as well the injured Murray takes the win

Congratulations to him a huge race from Richard Murray