NEWS

Junior Men’s race goes like clockwork for the Swiss

By Paul Groves | 29 Sep, 2014

One of the biggest storms to hit Alanya in years swept through the region during the night. Frantic telephone calls were made and major alterations were worked out between the Local Organising Committee and the Technical Delegate to try and rescue the event. What happened was the destruction of the start pontoon, the loss of timing mats and one of the turn buoys that was later found a few kilometres along the coast in a tree.

The solution was a beach start. All the athletes, coaches and team mangers were briefed about the change and a replacement buoy put in place. Depar-Timing had spare timing mats and so the race was saved!

67 Junior men made their way down to the start line. 25 nationalities were represented. It was going to be an exciting race. Once again no wetsuits as the water was just under 280C and the air edging up to 290C.

The start was like an explosion of testosterone. It looked magnificent from the beach and over the one-lap, 750m course it would be a battle for each and every metre.

A magnificent swim from the Polish athlete Michał Oliwa led him away from the fists and feet into a comfortable lead. His 9:44 was followed by Jan Fredrik Halvorsen NOR and then, much to the delight of the home crowds, by Gültigin Er TUR.

Into T1 after a long run from the beach, it was a swift and faultless transition that would ensure a good place on the 3-lap bike course. Easy for some! The wind was still quite strong and this meant that in the exposed areas along the coast a tight pack of cyclists would benefit.

It was certainly not easy on the bike but a peloton formed and with a couple of breakaway attempts the pace was never going to drop. Morten Hansen NOR took his time at the front and got the cheers as the sped through transition.

The city authorities had been out to remove the damaged trees and branches from the course to ensure safety for all. Despite the frantic pace and the determination that we could see on the faces of these young men the bike section was without accident.

Max Studer SUI was testing the pack, having made up ground after a slow swim.

It was Studer who led the massive pack into T2.

Off they went onto the two-lap 5k course with a sharp climb on each lap. The run course is quite technical and if a determined runner can force the pace the turns and twists and hills it would be to his benefit. Soon a strong group formed at the front. Each one determined to win. Each one pushing themselves to the limit. Studer, Luke Penney and Sylvain Fridelance (Switzerland, Great Britain and Switzerland) succeeded in pulling away from Casper Stornes NOR.

It was the final gallop towards the blue carpet that saw the medals decided. Studer grabbed his chance and kicked. Fridelance and Penney went with him but soon were struggling as Studer’s pace held and then the gap grew. Gold went to an exhausted Studer who collapsed in the finish area. Fridelance and Penney battled. In the final metres it was Fridelance who had that extra pace and took silver. Penney cruised into bronze and Stornes, overtaken by Gabriel Sandör SWE, had to settle for fifth. Sandör’s final lap was just quick enough to take home past the Norwegian but not quite enough to deliver him to the podium.

The gold and silver to Switzerland had greater significance as later in the day the ITU World Cup was won by fellow Swiss, Sven Riederer. In the post-race interview for the spectators he was asked about the medals for the Junior Men. He was very pleased, “I will not be racing triathlon for another 20 years”. With new blood coming into the Swiss Tri Team, these Junior medal winners are ones to be watched.


Article gallery
Related Event: 2014 Alanya ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup
27 - Sep, 2014 • event pageall results
Results: Junior Men
1. Max Studer SUI 00:55:42
2. Sylvain Fridelance SUI 00:55:46
3. Luke Penney GBR 00:55:49
4. Gabriel Sandör SWE 00:55:58
5. Casper Stornes NOR 00:56:05
6. Daniel Bækkegård DEN 00:56:11
7. Jan Fredrik Halvorsen NOR 00:56:14
8. Noah Servais BEL 00:56:18
9. Max Biewer LUX 00:56:21
10. Jimmy Kershaw GBR 00:56:27
Results: Junior Women
1. Alberte Kjær Pedersen DEN 01:03:59
2. Sian Rainsley GBR 01:05:49
3. Tamara Maksiyanova RUS 01:06:02
4. Deborah Vauthey SUI 01:06:15
5. Elizaveta Zhizhina RUS 01:06:21
6. Daryna Moskalenko UKR 01:06:23
7. Maria Chuyko RUS 01:06:55
8. Aline Moraz SUI 01:07:00
9. Vilde Tengesdal NOR 01:07:09
10. İlayda Kara TUR 01:07:11