Carter, Docherty finish 1-2 for New Zealand in triathlon

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- In a rare one-two finish for New Zealand, Hamish Carter powered away from teammate Bevan Docherty in the final kilometer to win the Olympic triathlon Thursday.

Sven Riederer of Switzerland took the bronze.

Carter, 34, won his first major title, beating Docherty by 7.87 seconds after a grueling test consisting of 1.5 kilometers of swimming, a 40-kilometer cycling race and the closing 10-kilometer run under the blazing morning sun on a coastal stretch outside Athens.

In temperatures peaking at 30 degrees Celsius (86F), Carter finished in 1 hour, 51 minutes, 7.73 seconds. He was back in 33rd place after the swimming portion but had the fastest time in cycling and fourth in the road race.

"I really struggled in the water," Carter said. "I felt really good once I got on my bike."

Carter, Docherty and Riederer stayed together for most of the final leg of the event. During the last three kilometers, the two New Zealanders pulled away, turning it into a two-man race.

Docherty, the reigning world champion, was just thrilled with the silver medal.

"I didn't come away with gold but who better to lose to than my teammate Hamish," he said. "We were fantastic, both of us. Hamish had a fantastic day and he deserved the gold."

Carter has often fallen short in major races but the Olympics inspired him.

"Today was my day," he said. "We wanted to beat each other more than anything, I didn't know I had it until the last 100 meters."

Carter started making a difference going up the hill of the biking circuit, throwing off one challenger after another.

"We seemed to be showing up a few guys each time we went up that hill," he said.

And when he finally crossed the line, the 33-year old Carter could not help thinking of his boyhood hero, New Zealand middle distance Olympic champion John Walker, who won the 1,500 at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

"I watched John Walker winning the gold medal and was determined to do the same thing one day," he said.