Later this week will be the one year anniversary of the individual triathlon events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It therefore seemed fitting that a couple of days out, over the past weekend, one of the stars of Paris returned to the sport in emphatic fashion. Find out all that happened in this week’s Monday Morning Mix.
World Triathlon Development Cup Vlasina Lake
The World Triathlon Development Cups play an essential role in growing the sport through providing platforms for athletes from smaller and less-established national federations to test themselves against international competition. In a change for the circuit, the racing headed over to Europe for the first time. Vlasina Lake in Serbia was the destination in question and the men’s race went down to the wire.
Croatia’s Filip Vilenica was the first man out of the water in the sprint distance 750m swim (9:16). Behind him, the field was fully extended – only two men were within 10 seconds of Vilenica – but an initial front group of eight men came together. Alexander Bozhilov (BUL) and Aurelien Carre (LUX) were among the leaders and, come the run, separated themselves. In a tense finale, Bozhilov had the stronger final kick and crossed first to win by 3 seconds. Following some 48 seconds after Carre in 3rd place was Ul Denša (SLO).
In the women’s race, Nika Rimaj (CRO) came out on top after a closely-fought battle with Mirolyuba Nenkova (BUL). Rimaj’s win was quite the turnaround; she was actually the last woman out of the water and over 1:20 down on the leader. As the field slowly came back together, Rimaj dropped the best bike split of the day with the help of one other athlete to make it to the front. Her exertions over the 20km bike had not emptied her legs for she then added a field-leading 5km run split to beat out Nenkova. Taking bronze was Luna Sraka (SLO). View the full results here.
Europe Triathlon Baltic Championships Otepää
Gregor Rasva (EST) triumphed at the Baltic Championships in a men’s race in which the Estonian team certainly earned bragging rights over their regional rivals. Rasva was coming off a slightly disappointing showing at the Europe Sprint Championships in Melilla. However, prior to that he had demonstrated his breakaway threat in the semi-finals at the Tiszaujvaros World Cup.
That breakaway ability was on display in Otepää as he clocked the fastest 750m swim split (9:31), with the next best man 10 seconds down. Rasva’s work laid the foundation for a group of ten men to form at the front on the bike, a group that were never going to be caught. Half of the lead group were actually Estonian as the team really stamped their authority over the race.
Rasva, though, was not done and sealed a comprehensive victory with a field-leading 5km run split of 15:45. Following him home in 2nd place was Johannes Sikk (EST) while Artjoms Gajevskis (LAT) managed to prevent an Estonian podium sweep by nabbing the bronze medal.
Further Estonian delight followed in the women’s race as Liis Kapten (EST) added a win of her own. She was right on the heels of Latvia’s Beate Jansone out of the water and the pair subsequently launched a breakaway of their own. Arriving in T2, they led by over a minute. Like Rasva in the men’s race, Kapten then added the swiftest run of the field (18:47) for good measure to guarantee victory. Jansone held on for the silver medal while Etriin Etverk (EST) continued Estonia’s superb weekend in 3rd place. View the full results here.
Europe Junior Cup Tabor
It was on the bike that the junior men’s race in Tabor really exploded. Malo Cormier (FRA) had led a strung-out field into T1 although there was little daylight between each athlete as they arrived in a procession. Both Luke Holmes (GBR) and Jelle Kaindl (AUT) had been a couple of seconds behind Cormier and well-placed to strike on the bike. They did need a second invitation.
Riding together, they quickly opened up a half-minute lead over the 20km bike. Behind the lead pair, multiple chase groups strived to regain time but could not. Milan Lariviere (FRA) was prominent in the first chase pack while Americas Junior champion Daniel Ubilla Sababa (CHI) featured in the next chase group. Holmes and Kaindl, though, grew their advantage before they made their way onto the run.
Holmes soon showed himself to be the quicker runner; this was not a race he was going to lose. The battle for the minor medals, however, intensified as Lariviere caught Kaindl. Ubilla, too, was gaining. In the end, Lariviere was too fast and took silver behind Holmes but Kaindl resolutely clung on to 3rd place to deny the fast-finishing Ubilla.
Meanwhile, after Germany had seen success with a win at the Europe Junior Championships in Melilla, the team could celebrate another victory as Chiara Göttler prevailed in a last-ditch showdown. Louise Buannic Guirriec (FRA) had been alone in the first phase of the race as she led the swim by 13 seconds and initially rode isolated on the bike. Yet it seemed no one could catch the French athlete and so she promptly put her head down and powered to a field-leading bike split (33:44).
Göttler was the next quickest woman on the bike in the chase group but had been over half a minute down out of the water. Alongside Clara Robert (BEL), she nonetheless set out after Buannic Guirriec on the run. Try as she did, Buannic Guirriec could not hold off her two pursuers and they eventually passed her. Thereafter, it took a huge final surge from Göttler to break Robert and take the win by 3 seconds. There was some reward for Buannic Guirriec, though, as she held on for 3rd place. View the full results here.
Around the world
The first race of the supertri season took place in Toronto and this was the event that saw the return of Olympic champion Alex Yee (GBR). Yee had not contested a triathlon since winning the world title in Torremolinos late last year but he showed few signs of rust as he came out on top. Following Yee on the podium were Csongor Lehmann (HUN) and Vasco Vilaca (POR).
Crucially, Yee’s return provides a sudden shot in the arm to the men’s WTCS. With three regular season races still to go before the Series Final in Wollongong, he now opens the door to defending his world title. Yee will have to score well at all three events if he is to get close to current Series leader Matthew Hauser (AUS). His Toronto outing, though, will give plenty of cause for optimism.
In the women’s race in Toronto, Jolien Vermeylen (BEL) continued her dreamlike July. As mentioned last week, she had already finished 2nd in Tiszaujvaros and 4th at WTCS Hamburg before claiming the Europe Sprint title in Melilla. In Toronto she added another win, taking down silver medallist Leonie Periault (FRA), bronze medallist Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) and more. Such has been her form, Vermeylen would be forgiven for asking if this month could never end.
