Europe Triathlon

The first European race of 2013 starts with a bang with the Winter Triathlon European Championships in Tartu, Estonia.

This is the first time Estonia has held a European Championships race and the first event to be held in Tartu.

Ain-Alar Juhanson from the LOC, TriSmile, said: “Tartu has been hosting summer triathlon events for many years but it is the first time the winter triathlon is held in Tartu.

“We believe that it is also the first time the winter triathlon championships have been held inside of a city.

“It is our mission to show that winter triathlon can be a very attractive sport and it can be an event which is challenging for athletes and very spectator friendly at the same time.”

Almost 100 athletes will compete over two days in the Elite, U23, Junior, Paratriathlon and Age Group categories. There will also be a mixed relay Championship.

COURSE DETAILS

The run - mountain bike - ski format to these winter races will incorporate a distance of 7.2km, 14.4km and 10.8km respectively. The Junior races follow a 3.6km -9.5km -5.4km distance.
The 3.6km run loop is almost flat and the athletes cross the famous Emajõgi river twice using two of Tartu’s many bridges.

The Mountain bike course covers a mixture of city streets and off-road tracks and is very technical with four hills to climb in every 4.6km loop. The ski segment is on an artificial snow track which is extremely fast there will be three 2.7km loops.

RACE PREVIEW

In the Men’s Elite race, four time winner, and reigning European Champion, Andreas Svanebo (SWE) will not be competing. This opens the door for a new champion and perhaps 2013 will be Daniel Antonioli’s year?

The Italian did not finish outside the podium in six winter races in 2012 but unfortunately could only claim one victory and he was runner up to Svanebo in Valsesia at the European Championships.

Reigning World Champion Pavel Andreev (RUS) will be out to retain his European crown. The 2011 European Champion finished a disappointing 8th last year and will be out to make amends. 

Fellow Russian Maxim Kuzmin will also be a threat. The 2011 U23 Champion finished 4th in his first Elite European Championship race and that experience should stand him in good stead for a stronger challenge this year.

Allan Aoras (EST) offers the best prospects for the host nation. Aoras is a European Champion in the Mountain Bike marathon championships will use all of his experience on this terrain and a podium finish would be an excellent result.

To view the complete start list for the Men’s Elite race, click here.

In the Women’s Elite race, Helena Erbenova (CZE) does return to defend her European title. 

Erbenova shocked the Triathlon world when she became European and World Champion in her debut season. Her opponents will not be caught off guard this year and defending her title’s will be a difficult job, particularly with the likes of Norwegian duo Borghild Løvset and Hanne Trønnes on the start line.

Løvset knows more than most how difficult it is to defend titles. Like Erbenova, Løvset did the European and World Championship double in 2011 but could only finish 2nd and 3rd respectively in last year’s competitions.

To view the complete start list for the Women’s Elite race, click here.

Reigning Junior Winter Triathlon European Champion Pavel Eliseev moved up to the U23 category this year and will start as one of the favourites to win again. Sander Linnus (EST) is a real prospect for the home crowd.

To view the complete start list for the Men’s U23 race, click here.

The Women’s U23 event should be an intriguing race between a small and competitive field. Margarita Ovsyannikva (RUS) was third in this event last year and will look to go one better but Ilaria Titone was third in the 2012 Junior European race and, despite making the step up to U23, she should provide a stern test for Ovsyannikva.

To view the complete start list for the Women’s U23 race, click here.

A host of new names appear in the starting field for the Junior races. With defending champion Pavel Eliseev moving up to U23 the Junior men have a real chance to make a name for themselves.

In the Junior Women’s race, World Junior Champion Natalie Grabmullerova (CZE) will look to cement her status as one of the ones to watch in Winter Triathlon. Natalie is the daughter of Sarka Grabmullerova, who will compete in the Women’s Elite race making it a real family affair in Tartu.

To view the start lists for the Junior Men’s race and Junior Women’s race follow the links.

In the Paratriathlon events, the great Rob Noordzij will tackle his first Winter Triathlon European Championship in the TRI-4 category. The 2009 European Champion became European Cross Champion in Den Haag last year and will look to add the snow and ice of Tartu to his list of victories.

RESULTS

Following the completion of the Championships, comprehensive reports, as well as full results and timings will be available on the ETU website.

On the day, live updates will be available from the official Facebook page of the European Championships – like this page for it to appear on your news feed.

For more information on the 2013 ETU European Championships, click here. This includes the race schedule and start lists for all races and events.