BEIJING — The cramp sneaked up on her like a pickpocket.
Her strength stolen, Laura Bennett grimaced during the third lap of the 10-kilometer race, the third leg of the Olympic triathlon. One by one, opponents gobbled Bennett like Ms. Pac-Man, surpassing her on the narrow track. She went from second to fifth.
“I tried to pull out what I could,” she said.
Bennett went from silver to finding a silver lining.
With Monday’s race seemingly locked up, the 33-year-old spotted Japan’s Juri Ide down the stretch. The cramp still grasping onto her leg, Bennett sprinted through the pain, and in the final 50 meters caught her. Bennett’s grimace became a smile. She finished fourth, and was proud of it.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m pleased,” said Bennett, who trains in Boulder and resides in Florida. “It’s a little disappointing, but all in all, I tried to pull out what I could. And I’m really happy.”
It was the first Olympics for the chiseled Bennett, whose time of 2 hours, 21 seconds was 1:53 behind the gold medal winner, Emma Snowsill of Australia (1:58:27).
Another Colorado triathlete, Sarah Haskins of Colorado Springs, made her first appearance in the Olympic Games. The St. Louis native finished 11th in the field of 55, with a time of 2:01:22.
“I can’t complain,” Haskins said. “It’s my first time around, and I’m definitely going to be here four years from now.”
When the triathlon began on a sun-drenched, sweltering morning, the Americans took a dip in the water and swam furiously to the front. When they got out of the water, after the 1.5-kilometer swim, Bennett was first at 19:49 and Haskins was third, at 19:50, barely behind Magali di Marco of Switzerland.
Then came the bike race, 40 kilometers, which featured a massive crash with a Canadian, Lauren Groves, breaking her arm.
The Americans’ cycling strategy was to gain an edge with a breakaway. But the pack was too crowded and the U.S. team, including Julie Swail Ertel, couldn’t capitalize.
Bennett was one of the first to reach the final stage; Haskins trailed her teammate upon starting the running race.
When the race was over, both athletes, between huffs, expressed happiness with their performances. Their necks were bare, but their heads were held high.
“I knew it was going to come down to the run,” Bennett said. “A little bit of cramping set me back. But, you know, it’s part of racing.”
Benjamin Hochman: 303-954-1294 or bhochman@denverpost.com
