performance in yesterday's ITU World Cup Triathlon.

"Emma,'' said 1995 champion Carol Montgomery, "was in a world of her own.'' And what a world it was. Blazing through the new and improved Hamilton course in two hours, three minutes and 54 seconds, the 26-year-old Australian collected her second straight Bermuda title and her fifth victory in eight tries on the ITU circuit this year.

She didn't so much dominate the field as she did destroy it. Carney's time was more than four minutes better than Montgomery in second, by far the most lopsided win -- male or female -- on the circuit this year.

In fact, Carney's time would've placed her ahead of about two dozen competitors in the men's race two hours later, in all a pretty easy way to earn the $10,000 first prize.

"She made us look like a bunch of amateurs,'' said Montgomery. "Emma was on a mission today.'' As a matter of fact, she was -- and the rest of the women probably won't want to hear it.

"I've been away from home for three and a half months and this was the last race before I go back,'' Carney said. "I really wanted to knuckle down and show everyone I'm in good shape.'' But good shape doesn't even begin to describe what she did to a field that included the third, fourth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth-ranked women in the world. One of those, number nine Isabelle Mouthon, finished third in 2:08:18, while number three Erika Molnar turned in a blistering run to finish fourth.

After an ordinary swim that left her 50 seconds behind the leaders -- and 33 seconds back of of Montgomery -- Carney went to work. After just two laps of the 40-kilometre bike course, she was in the lead group of three, along with Sharon Donnelly and Barb Lindquist and after the fourth she was 12 seconds ahead.

The lead was one minute after six laps and two after the requisite nine of what was supposed to be a more challenging bike course. Instead, Carney made Corkscrew Hill look like an ant hill.

Wary of a strained back she suffered two weeks ago, Carney said later she wanted to have a lead after the bike because "I wasn't sure how my back was going to hold up on the run.'' But a two and a half minute lead? "I just felt good,'' she said.

Super Carney in a class of her own From Page 23 So strong was Carney that she abandoned any sort of partnership, preferring to work alone on the tight corners and narrow streets. Asked if she was taking a gamble by going out by herself so quickly, Carney shrugged.

"I didn't even think about, you know,'' she said. "I just went out and did it.'' The race was over by the time she began her 10-kilometre run but Carney still had enough left to produce the second fastest split behind Molnar (36:33).

Montgomery, a Canadian Olympian in the 10,000 metres, overtook Mouthon in the second last lap to nab third. Like most of the competitors, Montgomery preferred this year's course over last year's, in particular the climb up Corkscrew Hill.

Donnelly and Lindquist, sitting second and third after the bike, faded to sixth and eighth, respectively, at the finish. Gail Laurence, second behind Carney here a year ago, was seventh.

Photos by David Skinner BREAKING THE TAPE -- Philippe Fattori (above) and Emma Carney were the winners of yesterday's ITU World Cup Triathlon.