After the intensity of the start of the month, a somewhat quieter weekend was on the menu. In the absence of any major competitions, though, several stars of triathlon took it upon themselves to tackle some noteworthy side quests. Find out who did what, where and how below in the Monday Morning Mix.
World Triathlon Development Regional Cup Tam Chuc
The first Development Cup event of the season took place in Vietnam at the weekend. This tier of competition is designed to grow the sport by providing racing opportunities to new and emerging countries on the triathlon scene.
Louise Marie Middleditch (SGP) crossed the line first in the women’s event ahead of Thi Kim Chuong (VIE) and Lydia Musleh (JOR). Muleh, last year’s West Asia triathlon champion, cruised into the lead in the 750m swim, clocking 10:24 when no one else broke 11 minutes. Middleditch and Chuong logged splits in the 12 minute region but then bridged to Musleh on the bike.
That lead trio stayed together throughout the 20km, determining the recipients of the medals. Middleditch then decided the gold with a field-leading 18:54 5km run split. In turn, Chuong beat Musleh by 6 seconds in a close finale.
Isaac Tan (MAS) won the men’s race, prevailing over Li Rong, Luka Chua (SGP) in the sprint distance event by 10 seconds. Sheng Cher Bryce Chong then added another medal for Singapore in 3rd place.
The three medallists had early work to do on the bike after Nhat Lam Quang (VIE) put a 17 second gap into the field in the water. Once the quartet came together, they rode clear of the chase pack. From there, Tan had the best run of the day (17:03) to seal an assured victory. View the full results here.
Around the world
At the start of last week, Tjebbe Kaindl (AUT) launched the latest wave of side quests by taking on the Vienna half marathon. Better known for his cycling prowess, he clocked a time of 1:05:51. The infiltration of triathletes on the road then continued at the weekend with several prominent names of the women’s WTCS competing at the European 10km Championships in Leuven, Belgium.
Beth Potter (GBR), Leonie Periault (FRA) and Alberte Kjaer Pedersen (DEN) were those to put some of triathlon’s top talent on display. All three have already featured in the Monday Morning Mix this season with their fast running times; to jog your memory Potter ripped a 31:15 10km, Periault a 31:45, and Pedersen impressed at the Barcelona half marathon.
In Leuven, Periault was the best of the trio, finishing in 12th place with a time of 32:11. Potter was 4 seconds back in 14th place while Pedersen crossed the line in 42nd. In addition, Arnaud Dely (BEL), the 2024 European duathlon champion, placed 22nd in the men’s 10km event courtesy of his time of 28:45.
Other athletes took on multisport challenges of their own in their home countries. For example, Emil Holm (DEN) powered to the Danish national title in duathlon. Perhaps the biggest talking points of the weekend, however, came over in Brazil.
On home soil, Miguel Hidalgo and Djenyfer Arnold dominated Ironman 70.3 Brazil. Hidalgo did more than simply win his maiden attempt at the distance; with his time of 3:31:43, he logged the fourth fastest performance ever. Making a similarly memorable debut was Arnold. Her time of 4:01:33 was the fifth fastest ever and handed her the South American record.
Finally, a major step forward his been made on the front of regional triathlon cooperation in Eastern Europe. Hungary has officially become the host of the 2025 long distance national championships for Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia, with Austria also expressing a strong intent to join the initiative. You can find out more here.
