The Triathlon Chronicles

The Racing Diary

Potts Conquers Clearwater To Become World Champion

By Brent Smith

While U.S. Olympian Andy Potts has spent the last few years establishing himself as a formidable threat on the ITU World Cup circuit, his efforts in non-drafting events this year have also been enormously successful, culminating in the biggest victory of his career at the 2007 Ford Ironman 70.3 World Championships. His first world title came three weeks after a dominating win at the inaugural Escape to Bermuda Triathlon, a non-drafting Olympic-distance event that apparently provided Potts with the perfect tune-up before the Clearwater race.

CLEARWATER, Florida (November 10, 2007) – For Athens Olympian Andy Potts, this was a good year. Kicking off the season with a win at Ford Ironman 70.3 California was the perfect start to a season in which Potts earned his first national title in the sport by winning the U.S. National Championships, captured a major victory at the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon, and became the 2007 Pan American Games Champion.

But he earned his most impressive title of the year with his win in Clearwater. 2007 World Champion Potts has made it clear that he is always a threat, regardless of the distance or format of the race.

Leading into the race, Potts knew he was on the cusp of something big.

“I felt fantastic in Bermuda,” said Potts. “I had a strong swim, and while I knew my preparation during the previous weeks had been optimal, I was really excited to feel like I was firing on all cylinders during the bike and run. It was a fantastic event and it certainly succeeded in boosting my confidence heading into World Champs.” 

With a 10-minute head start, the professional women were already underway when the men’s field sprinted down Clearwater Beach to begin their one-loop swim in the Gulf of Mexico. Potts quickly took the lead but struggled to break away from the group. Hampered by a slight current that was constantly pushing the field off-course and the early-morning glare of the sunrise that prevented efficient sighting, Potts exited the water with a very small lead over some of the sport’s top cyclists. 

“I was disappointed that I didn’t have a better swim,” said Potts. “I hoped to use my strength in the water to give me a solid lead over the rest of the field. I knew how strong some of those guys were on the bike and I wanted to really make them work to catch me.” 

Although Bjorn Andersson passed the two-time World Cup champion around Mile 10, Potts just focused on maintaining his intensity during the flat and extremely fast ride to minimize the gap heading into the run. Blazing the bike course and just breaking two hours, Andersson held a two-minute lead over 1995 ITU World Duathlon Champion Oscar Galindez,

2002 ITU World Triathlon Championships Bronze Medalist Andrew Johns, Aussie Craig Alexander and Potts were just a few minutes further back. Potts and Johns set a torrid pace in an effort to catch the leaders and soon dropped the defending Ironman 70.3 World Champion Alexander.

"Without any advantage out of the water, I really had to step it up on the bike, which I knew I would feel on the run. It was a long day,' said Potts. 'I kept getting splits to Oscar and even after eight miles we weren’t making up any ground.”

But when the next split was called, Potts had chopped nearly 20 seconds off the lead and was confident that he’d make the catch as long as he was patient. Once Great Britain’s Johns dropped off the pace, Potts was alone and Galindez was the only competitor between him and his first World Championship title.  

'It's a half-marathon and you can make a big mistake if you suddenly hear the gap dropping and decide to cover that ground too quickly,” said Potts. “You could empty your tank and have nothing left for a kick so I just kept telling myself to be patient and it paid off.” 

After completely erasing the Argentine’s lead, Potts was left to dual with Galindez, and the former World Champion wasn’t backing down at all.  

"I was tired from an intense bike and pushing so hard to catch up, but I didn't slow down' said Potts. 'When the time came, Oscar raised his level one more time because that’s what quality athletes do. It was a battle all the way to the finish chute, but I have a lot of faith in my kick and it worked today."  

Potts ran a race-best 1:11:33 half-marathon split to take the win with Galindez right behind and Johns rounding out the podium. Alexander stayed strong during the second half of the run to finish in fourth, nearly a month after his runner-up performance in Kona.

Although expected to lead the swim, Potts raised the bar with his well-paced bike effort and scorching run to finish with a total time of 3:42:33.

'I'm on cloud nine,' said Potts. 'We had a world-class field with some of the best athletes and most fierce competitors in the world and I had to give everything I had for the win, which is exactly what you need to do in a World Championship setting. It was the perfect way to end a great season.”