BEIJING • Sarah Haskins Korteum had barely finished her first Olympic triathlon and she was already talking about the London Olympics and 2012.

“It was my first time around,” Haskins Korteum said soon after posting a time of 2 hours, 1 minute, 23 seconds late Sunday. Haskins Korteum finished in 11th place, 2:55 behind Australian gold medal winner Emma Snowsill. “I definitely plan to be back here in a few years.”

Here is the Olympic stage, a place where the Colorado Springs resident said she learned a lot. Haskins Korteum wasn’t overjoyed by her finish but she wasn’t overly disappointed either.

Because of the difficulty in actually getting the Olympic Games, it’s complicated to simply say one can use the Olympics as an educational experience. But when the results don’t end with feet planted firmly atop the medal stand, that’s all it becomes.

Haskins Korteum got out of the water after the 0.9-mile swim with her American teammates, Boulder’s Laura Bennett and Irvine, Calif., resident Julie Swail Ertel.

But, the rest of the pack wasn’t too far behind. Haskins Korteum got tangled in the mix with about 15 other competitors during the bike portion. The Americans planned to do a three-person breakaway. Lower back cramps to Ertel prevented that.

“There was a big group on the bike,” Haskins Korteum said. “I tried to attack on the bike, but the pack kept us in it. So it came down to a strong run. I felt good on the run.”But 11th place, you know, I can’t complain.”

But 11th was almost three minutes out of first. That’s three minutes – in four years, maybe more – Haskins Korteum must find a way to erase.

“I learned that on the swim, when I was trying get out, get around and get away, at the exact time I’m going to go, I just need to step on it,” Haskins Korteum said. “No matter what, I need to get out and spread it out a little bit.

“I didn’t want to press the swim. Because, if you’re pulling, you’re using more energy. But, I think I’m just going to go back to my style of really, really swimming really hard. That’s going to break up the swim even more.”

May Photo by