After the rare occurrence of a weekend without racing, the Monday Morning Mix is back for the third edition of the year. WTCS stars Richard Murray and Rachel Klamer were in action in Zimbabwe, while men’s World U23 champion David Cantero del Campo also hit new highs at the weekend. Read on to find out the latest.
Africa Cup Troutbeck
In Nyanga, Zimbabwe, the first Africa Cup event of the year took place, attracting the storied Dutch duo of Murray and Klamer. In the men’s race, however, rising Greek star Panagiotis Bitados stormed to a magnificent solo victory. Bitados, the 2024 World U23 Championships silver medallist, led the sprint-distance 750m swim, clocking 9:08 to carry a 15 second lead into T1. From there, he did not look back.
Last season, Bitados enjoyed plenty of success in middle distance triathlon after missing out on Olympic qualification. At the Troutbeck Inn Resort, his biking power was on full display as he extended his lead to 55 seconds over a chasing pack that included WTCS medallist Paul Georgenthum (FRA) and World Cup medallist Valentin Wernz (GER).
Once through T2, Bitados sealed the deal with a controlled 5km. While he did not complete his sweep of the fastest splits, his effort was enough to win by 24 seconds. Wernz then out-kicked Georgenthum to snatch the silver medal and relegate his French rival to bronze.
There was similar solo success for Rachel Klamer in the women’s race as she dominated proceedings. Minori Ikeno (JPN) had emerged from the swim only 4 seconds behind Klamer’s 10:18 split. Thereafter, no one came close to the Dutch woman. Klamer was simply too good on the bike and run, claiming the fastest split in both, and would go on to win by well over 6 minutes. Ikeno took the silver medal while Marit Van Den Berg (NED) rounded out the podium. See the full results here.
Africa Junior Cup Troutbeck
In the junior men’s event, South Africa’s Nicholas Horne reiterated that he is shaping up as a name to watch from the continent. He earned a come-from-behind victory courtesy of a field-leading 16:28 5km run split that transformed a deficit of almost 90 seconds at T2 into a winning margin of 27 seconds. This represented Horne’s 8th win from 8 starts on African soil. Being born in 2008, he has plenty of time to develop his advantage over his continental peers. Nathan Max Centlivres Chase (NAM) and Zac Fletcher (RSA) came away with 2nd and 3rd place, respectively.
There was further South African success in the women’s race as Kadence Ribbink won by 7 minutes 29 seconds. Ribbink, the 2023 Africa Junior Championships silver medallist and participant at the 2024 World Junior Championships, performed the same trick as Klamer by leading all three disciplines. Karli Lotter (RSA) and Nicole Madya (ZIM) then earned the remaining spots on the podium. Take a look at the full results here.
Around the world
He clocked the fastest run split at WTCS Abu Dhabi and he is showing no signs of slowing down. At the weekend, David Cantero del Campo (ESP) broke the Spanish U23 10km record on the road, producing a time of 28:24 in Bilbao. That under-cuts the personal best of 28:53 he set on New Year’s Eve. In doing so he also claimed the runner-up spot at the Spanish Championships. As he goes from strength to strength, look out for Cantero in the coming months.
A week earlier, Leonie Periault (FRA) dazzled by winning the French Cross Country Championships. Having taken 4th place at Abu Dhabi and then clocked a 31:45 10km of her own in Cannes, Periault continued her strong start to the year with a fantastic performance. Also racing was Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair, who came away with a sterling bronze medal. Evidently, after the German 1-2-3 in Abu Dhabi, the leading women of the WTCS are shaping up to issue their riposte.
