Pontevedra played host once again to an electrifying second day of the 2025 Multisport World Championships, where the world’s best duathletes took to the course for the hotly anticipated 2x2 Mixed Relay World Championships. In a thrilling display of speed, strategy, and teamwork, Team France II (Marion Legrand and Emile Blondel Hermant) proved their dominance, clinching the gold medal—a title they successfully defended for their country after their previous triumph in Townsville.
This year’s event saw a record 14 teams from 8 nations line up for the fast-paced relay, each athlete tackling a 1.5km run, 6km bike, and 0.75km run, not once but twice. The new format, allowing two teams per country on the results and potentially the podium for the first time, added an extra layer of excitement and tactical intrigue.
How the race unfolded:
It was Marion Legrand of Team France II who led the charge from the begining, executing flawless transitions and maintaining relentless pace throughout the first leg. Legrand, determined to make up for her narrow miss in the individual event where she finished in fourth place, set the tone early, leading a tight group that included all four French squads, as well as strong contenders from Belgium, the Netherlands, and Italy.
When the baton passed to the men, Emile Blondel Hermant surged ahead, with only Thomas Laurent (France I) able to match his speed. The French pairs quickly distanced themselves from the chasers, turning the race into an all-French duel for the top step of the podium. In the end, Blondel Hermant crossed the line first, greeted by an emotional Legrand, who was visibly moved after her redemption run.
Their compatriots, Emma Wasser and Thomas Laurent, secured the silver, making the most of the new rule that allowed two teams per nation to compete at this level. The Italian duo of Giorgia Priarone—fresh off her individual World Championship win—and Samuele Angelini, put up a valiant fight to claim bronze.
Team Belgium, led by Lisa Isebaert and Arnaud Dely, finished just off the podium in fourth, while the Netherlands, with Aline Kootstra and Valentin Van Wersch, rounded out the top five.
Benjamin Choquert, the reigning men’s world champion, showed signs of fatigue from the previous day and managed to keep his team in the mix but ended up crossing the finish line as the third French team, and therefore not showing up in the final classification.
Spain’s Rising Stars Shine
The Junior 2x2 Mixed Relay saw Spain’s Cristina Jimenez-Orta Guerrero deliver a masterclass performance, handing teammate Manuel Prada Viciano a commanding lead. Despite a late surge from Italy’s Licia Ferrari and Emiliano Tassinari, Prada Viciano held on for gold. Italy II, represented by Gaia Silvestri and Gabriele Ferrara, completed the podium in third.
