Oag collapses after triathlon win

Orkney’s Bobby Oag won the men’s triathlon at Clearwater and promptly collapsed the finish line as the conditions took their toll on the Island Games gold medallist.

Oag had to be helped some distance to the St John’s Ambulance crew.

Gudmundur Joensen from Faroe took silver and Chris Walker claimed bronze. 

Winter Olympian Tucker Murphy was Bermuda’s top triathlete with a sixth place finish. 

Murphy said it was “a tough day, but it was a good race. It was great to have  a home crowd cheering us on. We had a strong team and it was great to see so many Bermudian athletes out there.”

He said the heat was more of a factor for the other athletes. “I didn’t feel it too much with the early start. I had a bit of a rough swim. I had a better bike than I normally do and I’m always happy to the run in one piece.”

Murphy was back in the field coming out of the swim. He said coming into the bike “I had Kent (Richardson) in front of me and I tried not to lose sight of him because he’s such a strong biker.”

Richardson, who was the oldest competitor in the field, said the “it was definitely very hot, but overall I’m very happy (with my performance). 

Joensen said: “The heat is very dangerous for athletes who come from the north.”

Oag had such a commanding lead, but Joensen was determined to do his best to try and reel in his competitor.

“I’m a strong runner, but the gap was too big. It was frustrating because of the heat.”