Elite Women
Challenging weather conditions in Ceuta forced a delayed start for the Elite women’s race this weekend. Despite the rain and difficult conditions, Liberty Ricca of the United States came out of the water with the fastest swim split of the day, with Italy’s Sara Crociani matching her stroke for stroke.
Crociani was first out of T1, with a leading group quickly forming on the bike. Previous Europe Cup race winner Annie Fuller, Spain’s Marina Muñoz Hernando and Germany’s Josephine Seerig were among those in the group, while a chasing pack formed behind across the 20km route.
Fuller led the group into T2, but it was Hernando who made the fastest start to the run as she looked to put herself in contention for gold. The run proved pivotal, with Fuller catching both Seerig and Hernando before stretching her advantage across the 5km course to take a dominant victory, crossing the line 19 seconds ahead of Hernando.
Hernando had worked her way into medal contention on the bike after leaving T1 in eighth place and managing to stay with the leading group. However, she was unable to maintain her momentum on the run, with Fuller’s strength proving decisive. Fuller’s 17:24 was the fastest run split of the day by nine seconds, while Candela Sánchez Touza, who finished 15th, recorded the second-fastest time.
Behind them, fellow American Ricca reeled in Seerig to complete an American double on the podium in Ceuta. The result marked Ricca’s first European race of the year and her first medal of the season, having only previously finished inside the top 10 once this year, in Montreal.
For Hernando, the silver medal was a special moment in front of a noisy and enthusiastic home crowd. The Spaniard added to the medals she won in Banyoles at the Multisport Championships in July and improved on the bronze medal she claimed in Larache, upgrading to silver in Ceuta.
Elite men
After the excitement of the women’s race, the Elite men took to the start line in Ceuta, with Spain’s Damian Suarez Couto leading the field out of the water. Unfortunately, the Spanish athlete was unable to finish the race, but was followed closely by compatriot Eduardo Blanco Mollá, just one second behind.
Mollá was first out of T1, but a group of athletes quickly came together on the bike. Rube Claus led the group into T2, while Germany’s Jan Scheffold was first onto the run, joined by fellow German Till Kramp.
The two Germans pushed hard from the start of the run to create separation from the rest of the group. Mollá was able to stay in touch, but it was Scheffold who ultimately claimed gold after a narrow battle with Kramp, crossing the line just two seconds ahead of his compatriot.
Scheffold did not record the fastest split in any discipline, but his consistency throughout the race allowed him to produce a strong finish and take the victory in Ceuta. The result adds to a busy and successful season for the German, who claimed bronze in the Sprint Championships in Elbląg earlier this year and has recorded numerous top-10 finishes in Cup races.
For Kramp, his silver medal was another step forward after finishing sixth in Coimbra two weeks ago. It was his first medal of the season and his first since taking silver in Larache at last year’s Africa Triathlon Premium Cup.
Rounding out the podium was Spain’s Eduardo Blanco Mollá, who crossed the line just three seconds behind Scheffold. He finished four seconds ahead of fellow Spaniard Esteban Basanta Fouz. Despite recording the second-fastest swim and the fastest T2 of the day, Mollá was unable to stay close enough to the two Germans on the run to challenge for the win.
For the home crowd, however, there was still plenty to celebrate, with both Spanish athletes receiving a huge reception as they crossed the finish line.
View all results here.
