Oliver Conway (GBR) can do no wrong this week. Two days removed from obliterating the men’s World U23 Championships field on the run, he was tasked with anchoring Great Britain’s quartet in the World Mixed U23-Junior Relay Championship. And boy did he deliver.
Nineteen teams took to the start line, four of which contained multiple medallists from these championships. France put forward the male and female gold medallists from the World Junior Championships, Tristan Douche and Léa Houart. Hungary was the only team with three medallists in their line-up with Fanni Szalai Márta Kropkó and Márton Kropkó all raring to go. Italy possessed an enviable back half through Angelica Prestia (World U23 silver medallist) and Euan De Nigro (World U23 bronze medallist). And then there was Britain, who paired Conway with World Junior silver medallist Alex Robin.
In the end, the leader came from outside that group as Canada got off to a great start through Isla Britton. The field had largely stayed together over the 250m swim, 5.2km bike and 1.6km run, with ten teams hovering within 10 seconds of each other by the conclusion of the first leg. Britton’s speed over the run proved the difference as she would carry a slight lead into the changeover.
The race, however, was still wide open. Ilona Hadhoum (FRA) and Bethany Cook (GBR) were only a second behind Britton. World U23 champion Richelle Hill also kept Australia in the mix.
One team not in the top-10 after the opening leg was Portugal. They would not stay quiet for long. Joāo Nuno Batista (POR) was on a revenge mission after a T1 mishap cost him dearly in the U23 race. With the bit between his teeth, he was the fastest man on the course in the second leg, gaining ground with every passing minute, and ended with the top overall split time.
Yet the leaders were also hammering the pace up ahead, denying Batista the chance to reach them. Gyula Kovács was going particularly well for Hungary, almost matching Batista’s time, and helped his team into the lead. World Junior champion Douche was alongside him while the Australian team still lurked nearby. Conversely, from previous positions of strength, the likes of Canada, Netherlands and Japan suddenly found themselves on the back foot.
Robin Dreijling brought the Dutch team roaring back on the third leg, her field-leading performance putting them in prime position. Being 9 seconds faster than the next athlete, Dreijling had the most dominant leg of any athlete; indeed, each of the other fastest legs were only 1 second faster than their closest competitor.
The Dutch charge brought Australia and Britain alongside Hungary and France to create a lead quintet. Léa Houart and Fanni Szalai were prominent examples here of juniors more than holding their own against the more seasoned U23 athletes. The serious business was about to arrive, though, and the leading teams entrusted their anchor legs to U23 athletes.
Britain still had their ace up their sleeve: World U23 champion Conway. He had shown just how devastating his run could be with an extraterrestrial split in the individual race, yet he was one of four World Cup medallists in this five-man up group. Mitch Kolkman (NED), Brayden Mercer (AUS) and Márton Kropkó (HUN) represented stiff opposition, while Jules Rethoret was another fresh out of France’s talent factory.
Kolkman and Mercer pressed hard on the swim, out-splitting their rivals. Kropkó would then lose time on the bike, killing Hungary’s shot at yet another medal at these championships. Rethoret and Conway, meanwhile, clamped themselves to Kolkman and Mercer’s wheels.
Out of T2, Kolkman took off. A medallist at the Lievin World Indoor Cup earlier this year, he was well-credentialed over the shortest distance. Rather than battling Conway over 10km, this time he only had to fend him off over 1.7km.
It came down to the blue carpet, and that was when Conway detonated an explosive finishing kick. Checking over his shoulder repeatedly to make sure Kolkman could not respond, the Brit zipped past and could only be certain of the win mere metres from the tape. With a second gold in three days, he has certainly made a name for himself in Wollongong.
Kolkman followed a second later, bringing silver home and in doing so vindicating the Dutch strategy of packing their team entirely with U23 athletes. Even accounting for the different, slightly longer finish Conway and Kolkman were also the fastest performers of the day.
Mercer continued the home party after Hill’s earlier win and Australia’s success at the World Para Triathlon Championships with a bronze medal ahead of France. Euan De Nigro then powered Italy to 5th place as Hungary completed the top-6.
