Sometimes a race name is misleading. Sometimes it makes perfect sense. Take the Oceania Super Sprint and Oceania Para Triathlon Championships: the location may have been Runaway Bay but precious few athletes ran away to gold. Conversely, on the other side of the world, the South American Junior Games should have underlined the word Junior as several top talents raced with a fearlessness and abandon that is usually the preserve of the young.

Find out all that happened at these curious events, plus what South America’s best triathlete managed over 10km, in this week’s Monday Morning Mix.

Oceania Super Sprint Championships Runaway Bay

It came down to the tightest of margins, but Luke Schofield (AUS) turned the tables on the winner of last week’s Gold Coast Oceania Cup, Brayden Mercer (AUS). After multiple rounds, it all came down to the sixteen-man final.

World Cup medallist Mercer led the swim (2:46), putting 7 seconds into Schofield. However, Schofield would then take time out of Mercer in T1, on the bike and in T2. As a result, going into the run he had a 4 second lead to play with; normally insignificant but with only 1.5km to run it threatened to be critical.

Yet Mercer pulled back to level pegging and had the chance to win himself. Only a photo finish would separate the two men, but Schofield had the better lunge for the line. Lachlan Jones (AUS) then fended off World Cup medallist Tayler Reid (NZL) by 1 second to take the bronze medal some 4 seconds behind the leaders.

Another humdinger of a final was in store in the women’s race, with World Cup winner Nicole Van Der Kaay (NZL) going up against Sophie Malowiecki (AUS). Malowiecki had already won in Gold Coast and the Haikou World Cup before that and was hunting a third win on the trot. Neither, though, had the best start as Tara Sosinski (AUS) put 10 seconds into them in the water.

Van Der Kaay’s field-leading bike split brought her and Malowiecki back into contention. Alongside Eva Goodisson (NZL), they then duked it out on the run. Malowiecki took the top run split by 1 second, but it was a similar story to the men’s race as the fastest runner was nonetheless denied, Van Der Kaay holding on for a 2-second victory. Goodisson would then round out the podium a further 2 seconds back. View the full results here.

Oceania Para Triathlon Championships Runaway Bay

Men’s winners:

• PTWC: Dave Miln (AUS)
• PTS2: Thomas Goodman (AUS)
• PTS4: Jack Gibson (AUS)
• PTS5: Jack Howell (AUS)
• PTVI: Sam Harding (AUS)

The close calls continued in the Para Triathlon events, the standout margin among which was the 4 seconds that separated gold from silver in the men’s PTWC race. The race hinted at what was to come as neither Dave Miln nor Nic Beveridge (AUS) gained significant time over one another. That would change on the bike as Miln powered to a lead of well over 4 minutes.

Staring down the barrel, Beveridge had to summon something special, and he very nearly produced a remarkable comeback. He barely ran out of road as Miln held on to take the gold by a gap that belonged in the Super Sprint races.

Women’s winners

• PTS2: Anu Francis (AUS)
• PTS4: Sally Pilbeam (AUS)
• PTS5: Grace Brimelow (AUS)
• PTVI: Maggie Sandles (AUS)

Across the women’s races, there was a wholesale repeat of the gold medallists from last month’s Devonport World Para Series opener. World champion Anu Francis was, as expected, was a cut above in the women’s PST2 class and now moves on with aims of continuing her lengthy unbeaten run at the Yokohama World Para Series.

On the note of unbeaten runs, Grace Brimelow is likewise one an impressive stretch. Aside from two disqualifications, the young Australian has medalled at every single one of her international appearances. With this latest win, she moves a step closer to mimicking Francis’ perfect 2025. View the full results from Runaway Bay here.

South American Junior Games Panama City

Amid a collection of the top triathlon talent in South America, it always seemed likely it would take a special effort to come away with the gold. Raimundo Vicente San Martín Naranjo (CHI) certainly took that to heart as he launched a spectacular solo attack to rise above the competition in the sprint distance individual event.

San Martín was the second athlete out of the water, only a second back from the leader (he swam 10:15 from 750m). On the bike, he made his move. Thanks to a 28:08 20km split, he rocketed clear. No one else was within a minute of his time, while the next quickest athlete also swam over a minute slower than him. As a result, San Martín arrived in T2 with time on his side.

But the gold was not yet guaranteed. Swim leader Aaron Jesus Hernández Morales (VEN) remained a threat, as did the Brazilian duo Alejandro Juanuk and Eduardo Staniaski Gonçalves. That trio remained together virtually throughout the 5km run and a 2-minute deficit soon became 1 minute. Then it dropped under 30 seconds. And under 20 seconds.

Yet San Martín had done enough. Understandably exhausted at the line, he hung on to take the win by 17 seconds before Juanuk pipped Staniaski to the silver by 2 seconds.

San Martín was not the only athlete to win with an audacious solo attack. Manuela Ortega Arteaga (ECU) prevailed in the women’s race with equal panache. She had been the third swimmer out of the water with a slightly larger gap to the leader (10 seconds) but would put even more time into the field on the bike than San Martín managed (her split was a full 77 seconds clear of the next fastest).

Once again, the run saw a doomed attempt to chase down the lone leader. Silver medallist Catalina Moreno Velasco (COL) and bronze medallist María Lourdes Peralta Perozo (VEN) pushed hard but could not overcome Ortega’s advantage. View the full results here.

Around the world

As the future of South American triathlon battled in Panama, the current standard-setter was raising his game. With the WTCS opener around the corner, Alghero gold medallist Miguel Hidalgo (BRA) logged a new personal best over 10km. He blasted his way to a time of 28:22 at the weekend having logged a time of 28:44 back in March.

Meanwhile, World Cup medallist and Paris Olympian Cathia Schär (SUI) took the win at Ironman 70.3 Valencia. She crossed ahead of middle-distance debutant Sophie Evans (GBR), who has just made her return to elite racing after a maternity absence, and WTCS medallist Lena Meißner (GER).