In 2015 Lake Jordán had been suffering from the excessive sunshine and was some 3m lower than usual. The organisers chose to adjust the run from swim to T1, which added some 450m but this year, the weather being kinder, the race went as planned and the athletes had the planned and shorter run to Transition. However, the results show that the pace was at least a couple of minutes faster than a year ago. Simona Šimůnková CZE later reflected upon this, “Je tedy vidět, že se kvalita evropského triatlonu posouvá dál a dál a pořád máme, co dohánět. So we see that the quality of European triathlon improves again and again and we still have to catch up.”

As one generation of Junior athletes grows up and moves on, so another joins the sport. ETU’s determination to provide a solid base of coaching for developing athletes, as well as to encourage organisers to provide safe and fair races that are well-placed on the ETU Calendar, certainly appears to be paying dividends. Bernard Saint-Jean’s leadership of the Development Committee has done well and he will be the first to admit that there is still work to be done so that we can continue to see our athletes performing so well on the international circuit.

It was the Junior Men who started first and they would enjoy the good weather. Sadly for the women the rains would sweep in while they were out on the run.

The swim is a deep water start.

We do not see many of these nowadays and so for the athletes it was going to be a bit of a change from the normal beach or pontoon start.

The anti-clockwise swim led them to the shorter run to the town square and it was a commanding lead that was established by Belgian athlete Tuur Lemmens. We have seen his powerful swimming in Holten when he was third out of the water and in L’Aiguillon Sur Mer when he led out. Over the next 30 seconds a steady stream of 34 athletes followed.

It looked like it would be a big pack out there on the quite technical course, with its downtown twists and turns and then the longer drag as they headed out to the turn point.

Lemmens was soon caught by the massive peloton, in which were some of the stronger runners. It would be a question of control, caution and skill.

Tucked into the group was the younger of the Studer brothers from Switzerland. Felix Studer is a couple of years younger than Max and has yet to get to the podium in an ETU race. Knowing how fast these two can run, this race could be his chance.

Germany’s Tim Hellwig placed himself well in the pack and out onto the run he was alongside Matevž Planko SLO and Frederic Funk GER. Hellwig accelerated and it was only Studer and Planko who could follow. The pace held and Planko dropped back, leaving only Studer and team-mate Maxime Fluri. They worked hard but they could see only the slim Hellwig pulling away.

Hellwig continued to push the pace and with by far the fastest run of the day, crossed the finish line with Studer following for the silver and Fluri making it a bumper day for the Swiss Federation.

 

For the women, it was no surprise to see Hungarian Dorka Putnóczki lead out of the water. Alongside her was Austrian Theresa Feuersinger. They had a small lead over Slovenia’s Eva Skaza and Germany’s Bianca Bogen.

Their lead was short-lived and soon a leading group of 11 athletes was working to try and keep some distance between them and the chase pack.

The group stayed together and it looked certain that the medals would come from within these 11 athletes.

It was just before T2 that a crash occurred and two athletes fell. Sadly, initial reports suggest damage to their collar bones. ETU wishes to extend to those athletes our very best wishes and hopes for a full and speedy recovery.

Once into T2 it was Skaza who took the initiative and kicked out onto the run. She took with her the Swiss athlete Jasmin Weber and Lena Neuberg GER. The three were upping the pace and between them now the medals would be shared as their running was easily enough at this stage in the race to ensure their lead would not be challenged.

It was Weber who edged ahead.

But then all three were running shoulder to shoulder.

Then the heavens opened and the rain came down. It was Weber who moved to the front and she had enough to take her first gold. Behind her Skaza and Neuberg tested each other but ultimately it was silver to Germany and bronze to Slovenia.

For the event organisers they had not just the ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup but also an open race. How thrilling it must have been for the athletes to line up for the start alongside most of the Russian Olympic Team. In the massive photo gallery provided by Asa Ruppin we can of course see many photos of his Israeli Team but also a nice selection of images from the Open Race. Thank you also to Harel Zilberman for making the link to Asa.

Thanks also to Tábor. Once again you brought many athletes together. How many of them will, I wonder, be on the start line in Tokyo or beyond?