Courtesy: USAT

American Marc Bonnet-Eymard won the overall men`s title and was among 30 Americans to win age group world medals at the 2006 ITU Triathlon Age Group World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland on Saturday.

Team USA took home 15 golds, 6 silvers, and 9 bronze medals on a beautiful day on the shores of Lake Geneva. Twelve of the medals were earned by athletes competing in the physically challenged division.

The men and the women each had five athletes among the top-20 overall. Bonnet-Eymard was the top male U.S. finisher in 2 :05 :31, while Stephanie Popelar (Parker, Colo.) finished 13th overall as the top U.S. woman in 2 :26 :35.

The day for the age groupers started well, with Ben Collins of Honolulu, Hawaii leading the 20-24 age group out of the water in 18:18, more than a minute ahead of the nearest competitor. Collins, who came onto the U.S. scene two months ago with a second overall result at USAT Nationals, had his first world championship come to a crashing halt, however, with a tumble on the third lap of the bike course. He was taken to a local hospital and treated for a separated shoulder.

Bonnet-Eymard, the USAT overall national champion, had all the pieces fall into place on this day. The resident of Winter Garden, Fla., set a goal of winning worlds after finishing second overall in 2005.

"I haven`t processed it yet," said Bonnet-Eymard, who also grabbed his second-straight age group title. "Obviously it was a goal coming off last year. You finish second and you only want to improve and there`s only one spot to go. That`s a difficult feat, to be the best in the world. To come here, with so many great athletes, it`s something you can`t think about. You can only think about putting in a great effort. I still can`t believe it. Maybe it will sink in tomorrow. But it was a goal that I accomplished and I`m thrilled."

One of the top female finishers on the U.S. side was Jillian Peterson of St. Louis, Mo. Peterson finished sixth in the 20-24 age group and had the sixth-best time among U.S. female athletes. "The worlds`experience is amazing. There`s nothing like it. It was my first time wearing the wetsuit, and I felt awesome. I felt really good when I came out of the water," said Peterson. "On the bike I felt good. I was glad I was in front for the first part because I knew some girls would go flying by me. I was just glad I didn`t crash on the bike. I just took it nice and easy and I was hoping to hammer it on the run, but I was hurting a little more than I thought I was going to."

After a fourth-place finish in his age group in 2005, Greg Rouault of Oklahoma City, Okla., earned his first world title, capturing the 25-29 age group. "I loved the bike. The run was tough ; I was trying my hardest just to finish. I was praying just to make it home.I had nothing left to kick, nothing," said Rouault, who also finished sixth overall in the men`s race. "I was in pretty good shape off the bike, and I felt good for the first three laps of the run, but the fourth lap I was `where`s the finish ?`" No. It was good."

For David Kane of New York, N.Y., who finished seventh in the men`s 35-39 age group, it was just a great all-around experience. "It was beautiful. The swim was great. The bike course was challenging ; it burned my legs out," said Kane. "We had great support out there on the run. It was fantastic. Lots of USA fans. It was a great race. Perfect weather. Great fans."

Earlier in the day, the U.S. elite juniors took to the course, but had a difficult day, coming away with no medals. The junior boys` defending champion Steven Duplinsky (Kensington, Md.) found himself in 91st place after the swim, but he battled back to a 23rd place finish. For the girls, Yasmine White (Arcata, Calif.) was the top American in 39th.

The 30 medals earned on Saturday gives the U.S. a total of 56 for the week. Twenty-six athletes were on the podium after Wednesday`s aquathlon. Twelve more medals are up from grabs on Sunday as the World Championships continue with the men`s and women`s U23 and Senior Elite races.

ITU Triathlon World Championships, September 2, 2006
Lausanne, Switzerland
U.S. Age Group Medalists

Gold
Men 25-29 : Greg Rouault (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 2 :07 :51
Men 35-39 : Marc Bonnet-Eymard (Winter Garden, Fla.) 2 :05 :31 (Repeat from 2005)
Men 60-64 : David Roadhouse (Wilmette, Ill.) 2 :34 :34 (Repeat from 2005)
Men 65-69 : Pat Wickens (Redondo Beach, Calif.) 2 :41 :23
Men 75-79 : Richard Robinson (Bonita, Calif.) 3 :29 :03 (Repeat from 2005)
Women 40-44 : Holly Nybo (Portola Valley, Calif.) 2 :26 :51 (Silver in 2005)
Women 65-69 : Susan Bradley-Cox (Lexington, Ky.) 3 :28 :05 (Silver in 2005)
Women Blind : Nancy Stevens (Glenwood Springs, Colo.)
Men Blind : Aaron Scheidies (Farmington, Mich.)
Women Wheelchair : April Coughlin (New York, N.Y.)
Men Wheelchair : Jeremy Newman
Men Above the Knee Amputee : Matt Perkins (Boise, Idaho)
Men Below the Knee Amputee : J.P. Thebarge (Carlsbad, Calif.)
Female Below the Knee Amputee : Amy Winters (Meadville, Pa.)
Men Handcycle : Akian Aleong

Silver
Men 18-19 : Javier Beuzeville (Tampa, Fla.) 2 :14 :00
Men 75-79 : Ken Nash (San Jose, Calif.) 3 :41 :13 (Repeat from 2005)
Women 60-64 : Patricia Kimper (Solana Beach, Calif.) 2 :57 :18
Women 65-69 : Graciela Val (Evanston, Ill.) 3 :32 :40
Men Above the Knee Amputee : Dave McGranahan (Sylvania, Ohio)
Women Below the Knee Amputee : Kelly Bruno

Bronze
Men 18-19 : Nicholas Vandam (West Point, N.Y.) 2 :16 :52
Men 30-34 : J.J. Bailey (Des Moines, Iowa) 2 :09 :17
Men 35-39 : Tim Watson (Colchester, Vt.) 2 :09 :20
Men 40-44 : Peter Kain (Cupertino, Calif.) 2 :10 :31 (Gold in 2005)
Women 35-39 : Stephanie Popelar (Parker, Colo.) 2 :26 :35
Women 55-59 : Diane Proud (Irving, Texas) 2 :58 :39
Women 65-69 : Sharon Roggenbuck (Hillsborough, N.C.) 3 :37 :58
Men PC Other : David Kyle (Athens, Ala.)
Men Blind : Charles Plaskon (Punta Gorda, Fla.)