Europe Triathlon

The event organisers and the Turkish Federation in Istanbul had a special treat this weekend. With excellent weather the defending men’s champion, Felix Duchampt  FRA decided to return and for the women, it was Olympic silver medallist, Lisa Nordén, making her first trip to this special city on the hunt for points and cash.

We are seeing this more and more now as coaches, team managers and athletes identify some of the smaller events with a view to enhancing their points tally.

So for Nordén how did it go?

The one-lap, 750m swim went well for Russian athlete and Penza resident Anastasia Gorbunova who just a week ago had stood on the podium in Burgas.

She had a slight advantage over Gaia Peron, racing under the ITU flag in her transitional period. Gillian Backhouse AUS and Belgian Charlotte Deldaele. Nordén, well placed, came out just on her toes.

The bike pace was high and over the 4 laps, fast and flat, it became clear that Nordén was strong and that it would take a lot to shift her from the podium.

Out onto the run and it was a master class in speed as Nordén took control and made her victory a clear one. Backhouse had the edge on Emma Bilham SUI but fighting for 4th and 5th place were Deldaele and Peron. In a sprint finish it was the Belgian who just edged out the former Italian athlete.

After the race Nordén kept it simple, “Job done”.

Her work done she then flew back home, “2 continents and 3 countries before lunchtime. Not a bad day of travelling.”

Deldaele took us inside the race, “I just got 4th at the ETU race in Istanbul. After a Really good swim we could manage to get away with 7 on the bike. It went extremely hard on the bike and I felt it was my 4the race in a row within 4weeks!! Anyhow. After a good transition the ones who I thought would make the podium did. I won the sprint against Peron and ended 4th.”

For the men’s race, the highest-ranked athlete, from Mexico, Cesar Saracho was off the pace when Dutchman, Marco van der Stel led out of the water.

Very quickly a group of four were able to escape from the pack and build an advantage of just under 20 seconds as they came into T2. Russian Long Distance bronze medallist, Denis Vasiliev worked hard within this group following a good swim and it looked as if there could be a medal going back to Russia.

The run hurt many and it was defending champion Duchampt from France who finally had the kick that would take him to gold and secure the title again.

Visiting Europe turned out to be a good move for Cameron Good AUS who took bronze being just beaten for the silver by the faster running of Italian Massimo De Ponti.

After the race, Van Der Stel, who having been in such a good position, said, “it was a hard and hot race here in Istanbul. I led the swim and pushed hard on the bike with a breakaway of 4. We only got about 15/20 seconds on the second pack and I suffered on the run. Finished in 9th place.” He was also pleased to have got some points in the bank and now will be focussing on the European Championships in 2 weeks.

For Duchampt, “Years go by and look alike. For the second time after 2014, I won the Elite European Cup of Triathlon in Istanbul on a course that I really like. Always a pleasure to race in Turkey. Next stop: Estonia this weekend!”

Great thanks go to Mahmut Cinci, for his excellent photos. You can follow him here and here. Istanbul is always a great city to visit. When a visit is combined with an exciting triathlon, what more can you ask.

Racing within Europe are several athletes who form part of the ETU Development Team.  With careful selection of races and with full coaching support, these athletes are taken to various events where they can race safely and gain valuable experience on the international circuit.

This last weekend in Istanbul, under the watchful eye of Turkish coach, Aytug Akar, five athletes from Slovenia and Romania, performed well. For some, it was their first chance to gain ETU points; for all of them it was a great chance to mix with Europe’s top athletes.

In the women’s race, top placing went to Slovenian athlete, Eva Skaza. Born in 1997, she placed 3rd in Vienna as a junior and then went to Baku to race Elite. Her 10th place in Istanbul amongst the Elite is a good result.

She had just a bit more pace than Antoanela Manac ROU who had remained in Baku after the race there. Her strong cycling took her just ahead of team-mate, Andrea Balan.

For the men, it was a 10th place for Slovenian athlete Domen Dornik and his best international performance so far. Matija Meden also from Slovenia, placed 12th. If you want to know how much this means to him, you only have to read his post, “BAAAM, 12th place in the European Cup in Istanbul and my first points in the European Rankings. At last, a race with which I am satisfied! The swim went OK. It was a bit of a fight as always. Bike went well and I was only about 20 seconds down from the leaders. It was rapid pace from start to finish. When it came to the run my feet and legs were not so the most fresh, but I don't care and I dug deep and managed to put in a good run. I really must also mention the great team success of Slovenia today, since we're were together for practically the whole race. All that training pays off. I was a little tired, yes, as this is already the fourth consecutive race, but I'm still very pleased. On Tuesday we had a tour of Istanbul and so with optimism I'll head off to the U23 European Championships.”

A young man who knows how to enjoy his race but also, who knows how to thank those who helped him, “Thanks FitRABBIT bio-drink the refreshment for Slovenia sport before races and Dejan Vračič-sports customer service for their work on my bike.” He also experienced a traditional taxi journey on downtown Istanbul

So, the ETU Development Team have had a good race in Istanbul. Their next event will be this weekend in Tartu, where athletes from Slovenia, Belarus, Latvia & Lithuania will be racing. They will be under the coaching surveillance of our Slovenian friend and top ETU coach, Miloš Petelin.