NEWS

Great Britain claims 22 gold medals at the Glasgow AG European Championships

By Olalla Cernuda | 18 Aug, 2018
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Almost one thousand triathletes had the chance to compete for the Sprint Distance Age Group European Championships in Glasgow, in the same venue used by the elite athletes, proving that the Scottish grounds are the perfect scenario also for massive participation races. And with the privilege of racing on home soil, the British team dominated the event, claiming 85% of the podium positions for the day.

Not even the chilly conditions in Strathclyde Park on Saturday morning prevented the athletes to have their best smiles ready to go for a swim in the calm waters of the Loch and try to grab one of the 79 medals awarded, and with thousands of spectators cheering for all the athletes from beginning to the end, with the medal ceremonies taking place in the Elite athletes transition area after the Mixed Relay race.

Twenty one nations participated in this edition of the Age Group European Championship, with a little bit over 30% of the entries coming from outside the UK. Ireland (66 athletes), Belgium (46), Germany (39) and Austria (30) where the next countries with more entries, with nations like Spain having one sole participant.

Some well known faces lined up in the pontoon for the European glory, including Michael Smallwood. A member of Rugby Triathlon Club, Mike was the British Triathlon Male Age-Group Athlete of the Year in 2016, a season in which he won six European and World Championship medals, including Gold (Sprint and Aquathlon), plus Silver (Standard) at the ITU World Championships in Cozumel, Mexico.

Michael added to his already extensive medal collection and now has 26 medals in IT and ETU races, one of the best records for his category: male 70-74 years old. With the pleasure also of winning in Glasgow on his category by more than four minutes.

Several athletes also managed to combine the Sprint and Olympic distance double, with Donald Brooks (GBR), competing in the 40-44 years’ class, was the fastest athlete of the day both in Glasgow and two weeks before in Tartu.

The winner of the younger competitors was Jack Shayler (GBR), with teammates William Dixon and Reuben Trotter completing a British podium sweep in the 16-19 category, as they also did in the 20-24 class, with William Kirk, David Pearson and Lewis Strachan completing the first three positions. Complete Brit podium was also for the 30-34 category, with Edward Castro claiming gold, and the 35-39 class, with the victory for James Wilson.

Having all participants starting in waves every 30 minutes meant that it was much easier for spectators and fans to cheer and spot their loved ones both in the course and in the finish line, which made Glasgow race even greater.

The Netherlands also claimed a gold medal, with Niels Grote Breveborg winning in the 25-29 male race, while British Simon Crook won in the 45-49 category. Frenchman Fabrice Bossion finished in first place in the 50-54 race, and Stuart Robinson in the 55-59 one.

In the under 64 years category the victory was for Chris Goulden (GBR) and in the next one, for Keith Bate (GBR). Michael Smallwood, who finished in second in Tartu, claimed here the gold medal in the 70-74 category, while the French Bernard Cuziat did so in the 75-79 years old. Two men with more than 80 years old competed in Glasgow, with Arnott Kidd, 84 years old and the oldest participant, claimed gold ahead of his teammate Peter Norman, three years younger.

In the female categories, winner of the 16-19 category was one of the youngest participants, Eden Schiller, who crossed the finish line with more than a minute over Ines Mommen (BEL) and Grace Goodall (GBR). “Good thing about this sport is that you can start at any age, and with triathlon you get to meet people from everywhere”, said Schiller after her victory.

And another British claimed the victory in the 20-24 age group, Hannah Dodwell, followed by Brooke Gillies (GBR) and Anna Heyder (GER). Nina Rosenbladt won the 25-29 category, while Alison Mackenzie (GBR) did so in the next class, and Heather Fell (GBR) in the 35-29 group. 

The fastest female athlete overall was Trish Deykin of the 40-44 age group, who retained the Gold medal in her category that she won in Dusseldorf last year. Another British, Lena Poulton, claimed the 45-49 category, and Maria Powell (GBR) did so in the 50-54. In the 55-59 class it was another Brit, Barbara Holmes, breaking the tape.

In winning Gold in the 60-64 category, Joyce Mark (GBR) took the European title over the Sprint distance for the seventh time. Anne Hugues (GBR) also repeated on top of the podium of the European Championships after winning in the 65-69 category. And a German, Inge Stettner, was the sole non British participant over 70 years old and claimed the victory in her class. Peggy Crome (GBR) took the gold medal in the last female category, 75-79 years of age.

You can check all the photos from the races and the podiums at the ETU Facebook page!

Related Event: 2018 Glasgow ETU Triathlon European Championships
09 - Aug, 2018 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Men
1. Pierre Le Corre FRA 01:47:17
2. Fernando Alarza ESP 01:47:28
3. Marten Van Riel BEL 01:47:40
4. Alistair Brownlee GBR 01:48:12
5. Jelle Geens BEL 01:48:47
6. Tamás Tóth HUN 01:48:53
7. Márk Dévay HUN 01:49:04
8. Igor Polyanskiy RUS 01:49:09
9. Barclay Izzard GBR 01:49:19
10. Jonas Schomburg GER 01:49:26
Results: Elite Women
1. Nicola Spirig SUI 01:59:13
2. Jessica Learmonth GBR 01:59:46
3. Cassandre Beaugrand FRA 02:00:57
4. Laura Lindemann GER 02:01:42
5. Claire Michel BEL 02:02:06
6. Vendula Frintova CZE 02:02:06
7. Julia Hauser AUT 02:02:37
8. Kaidi Kivioja EST 02:02:38
9. Petra Kurikova CZE 02:02:41
10. Melanie Santos POR 02:03:18
Results: Mixed Relay
1. Team I France FRA 01:15:07
2. Team I Switzerland SUI 01:15:18
3. Team I Belgium BEL 01:15:29
4. Team I Hungary HUN 01:16:06
5. Team I Denmark DEN 01:16:28
6. Team I Germany GER 01:16:36
7. Team I Portugal POR 01:16:42
8. Team I Spain ESP 01:16:45
9. Team I Italy ITA 01:16:46
10. Team I Russia RUS 01:17:00
Results: 16-19 Female AG Sprint
1. Eden Schiller GBR 01:13:31
2. Ines Mommen BEL 01:16:04
3. Grace Goodall GBR 01:16:17
4. Cecilia Hime GBR 01:16:41
5. Ailsa Beck GBR 01:17:06
6. Sofia Warter Rubio GER 01:17:29
7. Lilly Gibbs GBR 01:18:32
8. Abigail Kerr GBR 01:18:34
9. Lotti Knights GBR 01:18:42
10. Kathryn Bell GBR 01:18:46
Results: 16-19 Male AG Sprint
1. Jack Shayler GBR 01:03:30
2. William Dixon GBR 01:03:49
3. Reuben Trotter GBR 01:04:12
4. Michael Eagling GBR 01:04:34
5. Ruben Slot NED 01:05:54
6. Reece Ashfield GBR 01:05:59
7. Tom Whelan GBR 01:06:08
8. Antoine Waltzing BEL 01:06:45
9. Jacob Cann GBR 01:06:49
10. Callum Gaunt GBR 01:07:04
Results: 20-24 Female AG Sprint
1. Hannah Dodwell GBR 01:13:42
2. Brooke Gillies GBR 01:13:47
3. Anna Heyder GER 01:14:03
4. Jonie Vanhoutte BEL 01:14:37
5. Rosie Weston GBR 01:15:04
6. Naomi Elliott GBR 01:16:13
7. Karlien De Waele BEL 01:16:51
8. Cosima Mücke GER 01:17:36
9. Cliona Ferguson GBR 01:17:45
10. Katie Bain GBR 01:17:49