http://www.triathlon.org/news/ en erin.greene@triathlon.org Copyright 2013 2013-05-21T07:42:42+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/weekend_race_roundup_may_20_2013 http://www.triathlon.org/site/weekend_race_roundup_may_20_2013#When:08:54:27Z Sprint races, middle distances championships, paratriathlon and World Cups all in one weekend. It was triathlon heaven and a pure system overload in the best sense. If all the multisport action had your head spinning as much as it did ours, check out this quick and easy recap of all the action that went down. 2013 Barcelona ETU Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships Olympic Silver medallist Javier Gomez added another title to his CV with a supreme performance in Barcelona. The Spaniard, making his middle distance debut, was never far from the front of the race throughout the course and when he left T2 in first place he continuously increased his advantage to finish in 4:05:17, six minutes ahead of the runner up. Denmark’s Martin Jensen and Jens Toft completed the podium. Jensen, who was unable to compete throughout the major part of 2012 due to injury, was satisfied with his race. Full men’s recap here. Camilla Pedersen triumphed for a second year in a row at Challenge Barcelona to win the ETU Challenge Middle Distance Triathlon European Championships. Ireland’s Eimear Mullan was second and Maria Czesnik secured the bronze medal in third place. It was Pedersen’s first victory at this level since her 2011 win at Tampere in the ETU Long Distance Championships. Full women’s recap here. Full results can be found here 2013 Besançon ITU Paratriathlon International Event Europe hosted its first ITU International Paratriathlon Event in France this weekend. It was also the first ever Paratriathlon National Championships that France has held in accordance with ITU compliance. The race served as a qualifier for France’s Paratriathlon Elite National Team as well as European Championships in Alanya. Despite cold, wet conditions that forced race organisers to change the race from a triathlon to a 5km run, 20km bike, 2.5km duathlon, 46 athletes turned out for the race. The event was well supported by the city of Besancon and was hailed as a success by athletes and triathlon officials. Click here for full results 2013 Chizhou ITU Triathlon Premium Asian Cup Australian men cleaned up at the Asian Cup in China, sweeping first and third with Russian Vladimir Turbayevskiy sandwiched between Jesse Featonby and Mitchell Kealey on the podium. Although Kealey and Turbayevskiy exited the water together and continued their race side by side on the bike, it was Featonby who powered ahead with a solid bike leg to earn the title in... Age Group, Events, Paratriathlon, Multisports, Regions, Sport Development, 2013-05-20T08:54:27+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/mens_review http://www.triathlon.org/site/mens_review#When:17:48:58Z Artem Parienko (RUS) threw down a monster run on Sunday in Huatulco to take a late lead in the run and win his first ITU World Cup. “It’s my first World Cup win, and it’s a new experience for me. I’m very excited and happy,” Parienko said. “The first two laps after the bike were not easy because of the size of the group. On the run I just gave everything I had and I won.” In a late surge, Parienko gunned for the leaders who were more than a minute ahead on the start of the run. But by the second run lap, the Russian had pulled even with Luciano Taccone (ARG), who had broken away on the bike behind France’s Aurelien Raphael. Parienko smoked the final two laps for the win, followed closely by Taccone. While Raphael faded under the hot conditions, Mexico’s own Irving Perez stormed ahead for bronze. Raphael was at the helm from the start, driving the lead pack, who all entered T1 within 35 seconds of each other. The leaders then worked to build a distance over the chasers, which included some lone riders and small packs riding more than a minute back. At the end of lap four, Raphael had broken away from the pack, tackling the scorching hills on his own and putting a distance of 30 seconds between himself and the competition. The pack fractured in lap 5, with Taccone and Italy’s Luca Facchinetti staging their own breakaway from the main pack of 14 who had fallen to almost a minute back from Raphael. As he continued to push the pace on the bike, Raphael’s quick transition to the run gave him an edge of nearly a minute over Taccone in the final leg of the race. The main pack was close to two minutes back, having fallen off the pace with the full run still looming ahead. “I tried to make a difference on the bike,” Taccone said. “I know perhaps going with Raphael wasn’t a good idea but I tried it for myself. I knew the others could come to me and I could run with them. I was confident of my running.” However, despite a strong lead, chasers Taccone and Parienko reeled in Raphael, cutting his advantage to just 14 seconds after two laps. In the third lap, Parienko surged ahead to take the lead, with Taccone keeping distance behind him. While the men have each finished 33rd in Huatulco in previous years and lined up in nearly identical positions on the start list on Sunday, it was Parienko who won out on Sunday. The Russian took the top podium spot in two hours, 3 minutes, and 12 seconds. Taccone posted his highest ever ITU World Cup... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, 2013-05-19T17:48:58+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/oliveira_golden_in_huatulco_in_line_to_line_win http://www.triathlon.org/site/oliveira_golden_in_huatulco_in_line_to_line_win#When:15:12:23Z Before the extreme heat of the day hit Huatulco, Brazil’s Pamela Oliveira showed her strengths when she recorded her first ever World Cup win, leading from line to line on Sunday. Austria’s Lisa Perterer put the hammer down on the run, closing in significantly on Oliveira, but it wasn’t quite enough as she took second for her highest World Cup finish ever. Ukraine’s Yuliya Yelistratova posted an impressive final bike lap to bridge up, which put her in prime running position to earn her first World Cup finish since 2010. Oliveira is no stranger to the course – she finished second on this course in 2012, which was just the advantage she needed to take control of the race. From the start, the Brazilian Olympian distanced herself from the field, exiting the water first from the 1,500-meter swim with Gaia Peron (ITA) and Anne Tabarant (FRA) not far behind. After lap one of the bike, Oliveira had a nearly 30-second lead on the first chase pack, which included Tabarant, Mexico’s Maria Eugenia Barrera, Canada’s Joanna Brown and Austrian Lisa Perterer. Claudia Rivas (MEX), who took bronze in this race last year, was riding solo at the start of the bike but quickly joined the lead chase pack by the end of lap two. The gap continued to grow through the eight laps of the bike, despite the rising temperatures and the major hill facing athletes on each lap. By the final lap, Oliveira had stacked up more than two minutes between her and the five women in pursuit. The second chase group, comprised of Yelistratova and Mateja Simic (SLO), made a last minute push to join the hunt for podium finishes by bridging up to the five-woman chase group. Even with a solid lead on the rest of the field, Oliveira worked to maintain her lead throughout four laps over a hungry chase pack. Perterer quickly slid into second position, followed closely by Yelistratova, chiseling away at the distance to Oliveira. With one lap to go, the pair had gained a full minute back against Oliveira. But it wasn’t enough to overtake Oliveira, as she cruised home to victory to claim her line-to-line win after a fully solo race in two hours, 16 minutes, 10 seconds. In an impressive run, Perterer held off Yelistratova for second 38 seconds later. Yelistratova crossed over just slightly more than 10 seconds after Perterer for bronze. Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, 2013-05-19T15:12:23+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/huatulco_press_conference_highlights http://www.triathlon.org/site/huatulco_press_conference_highlights#When:19:42:12Z As athletes prepare to battle the hills and heat of Huatulco come Sunday at the third World Cup race of the year, four athletes – Mexico’s Crisanto Grajales and Claudia Rivas, and Lisa Perterer (AUT) and Andrew Yorke (CAN) shared their thoughts with the local media.  Andrew Yorke (CAN) On racing in Huatulco “This is my second year racing this event, and it’s a great course that the city of Huatulco has put together for us, along with ITU. I think the biggest factor this weekend is going to be the heat and the hills. You go out too hard and maybe haven’t done your heat preparation, it’s going to be a struggle.” On the competition he is facing “I think there’s going to be a pretty hard pace set on the bike by some of the athletes like Leonardo Chacon and Ivan Rana. There’s a lot of young athletes trying to make a name for themselves. This World Cup series is kind of their new stomping ground, so there’s probably going to be some new faces out there from Canada and the U.S. and I think it will be a competitive race all around even though we don’t have as many London or WTS finalists as we normally see. It’s going to be challenging but I’m looking forward to it; this is my kind of course.” Claudia Rivas (MEX) On the racing conditions “I like this event a lot because of the heat and the challenging course. I like when the bike is really hard like many races here in Mexico and Huatulco. In previous years, the heat has been really strong and I’ve done well. In the beginning, the heat affects you. But in triathlon, there are always different conditions.” Crisanto Grajales (MEX) On the challenging course “I really like this race. It’s very hard, but beautiful as well. It’s very demanding with the heat and climbs. I suppose all of us athletes here like the challenge. So it should be a really good race.” Lisa Peterer (AUT) On her race experience in Mexico “I’m here for a third time, because I like Mexico. The people are friendly, I like the heat and the hilly course, the up and downs. I hope I’m in a good form and we will see the outcome on Sunday. There are three others who were competing at the Olympic Games, so we will see.” Events, World Cup, Regions, 2013-05-17T19:42:12+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/fast_five_with_russias_dmitry_polyanskiy http://www.triathlon.org/site/fast_five_with_russias_dmitry_polyanskiy#When:07:42:27Z The World Triathlon Series simply wouldn’t be the same without the strong Russian contingency consistently pushing the pace in the men’s races. Leading that pack is two-time Olympian Dmitry Polyanskiy. As one of the speedy sets of brothers on the circuit, Dmitry can almost always be found on the front end of the swim and in the top 10 of nearly every race he enters. Last year, his top performances earned him a third-place finish in the overall World Championship rankings. ITU recently caught up with Dmitry in Yokohama to talk triathlon, his future, and the family training dynamics. What memories do you have of your first ever triathlon? It was in my home town about ten or more years ago, it was a wonderful experience for me. It was held in Krasnoyarsk in Siberia. I can’t remember where I finished but it was a most enjoyable experience. My father encouraged me to take part. I was a swimmer but I had a very good run and so my father said for me to go and try triathlon. What is your favourite ITU race? My favourite race is in Yokohama in Japan and in Madrid in Spain. I like both races and for me it feels like home because I am not far from my home. Favourite training destination Cyprus. It is the best place in winter for training. Favourite Holiday I don’t have a favourite yet. This season I will travel to Africa and Kilimanjaro. Music I listen to some music but I don’t really have a favourite, I listen to a lot of different music. Post training snack My coach is very good cook, he prepares our meals and always it is healthy and good food for the team after training. Coffee drinker? No, I am not a coffee drinker, I love tea. When I come to Asia, I love the green tea but when in Europe or the US my favourite is black tea. Five years from now, where will Dmitry Polyanskiy be? In the Russian team, we are very focused on the next Olympics in Rio, this is the important goal for us. We are training and learning new technical skills, all to prepare for the Olympic Games in Rio and of course I will try to be there. In London I had no luck with my wheels but in Rio I will be 29 years, which is I think my peak condition for triathlon. I will try, the whole team will try to win a medal at the Olympic Games. Favourite and least favourite training activities? Now of course it is running, this is the most important thing for us and the part of my training I enjoy the most. We are working on new technical parts of the run, we have to try and change... Age Group, Athletes, Regions, Asia, 2013-05-16T07:42:27+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/history_made_at_national_duathlon http://www.triathlon.org/site/history_made_at_national_duathlon#When:22:47:14Z Even though there is no such thing as World and National Records in Triathlons and Duathlons as each Race course is different, there are certain Benchmarks. In Trinidad those Benchmarks are a finish time of two hours for a standard duathlon and a one-hour finish time for the juniors in the Sprint distance, which is half of the Standard. While Ancil Greene reclaimed his title as National Champion as he came first in the standard distance, he just missed this Benchmark with a time of 2hrs 2mins 49sec. The new National Junior Champion Avinash Anamalay on the other Hand took matters in his hand and with an impressive sprint and his eyes glued to the clock in front of him he managed to finish in a time of 59mins and 36seconds. He has with that become the first Trinidadian Duathlete to crack the one Hour Benchmark. The pride was obvious on his face and shared in the finish area with his Teammates, Coach and Family. The race was started a few minutes late by the Mayor of Port of Spain Louis Lee Sing, who enjoyed the Company of these athletes and had some encouraging words to give them on their way. The course took the athletes along the fence on the northeastern side of the Savannah as far as Jerningham Avenue to come back, pass the Transition Area and to the western turn just before the hollows. After the juniors did that lap twice and the seniors four times it was time to hit the road with the bike…accompanied by police motorbikes the Athletes set out and did their Laps around the Savannah. After less than an Hour Avinash, like he already had used up all the Products from GNC he found in his Race Kit reached at the finish. Behind him was Kent Costa in 1:09:24 who started in the 40-49 Years Age Group in second place and Youngster in the Juniors Joshua Ho with an impressive 1:09:49 . In the Female Junior Category Rene Chin Lee seized her first National Title as Duathlete in a time of 1:17:56. This is her second title for the month as she also has won the Tri The Spice Triathlon on the Easter weekend. Behind her was Chelsea Mohammed in 1:32:29. In the Standard Distance the first one to emerge at the finish line was Ancil Greene in a time of 2:02:49 followed by Kirk Hearn with 2:06:59 in second Place and Jonah Camps in third place with a time of 2:07:53. The women’s race was dominated by veteran Diane Henderson in 2:47:04, she added yet another national title onto the long list she already has. Diane also has given the federation a trophy for the first... Federations, Regions, Americas, 2013-05-15T22:47:14+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/Heat_turns_up_for_Huatulco_World_Cup http://www.triathlon.org/site/Heat_turns_up_for_Huatulco_World_Cup#When:09:50:29Z World Cup action heats up with the third race of the circuit in Huatulco, Mexico, set for Sunday. This is the sixth year the tourist destination has been part of the World Cup calendar, and the scorching heat is part of the unique challenge facing athletes preparing to toe the line. An ocean swim and a tough hill in the middle of the bike course and at the start of the run loop will test the field, which includes nine London Olympians. Elite Women  Austrian Olympian Lisa Perterer tops the women’s start list following a 12th-place finish in her 2013 season opener at the World Triathlon San Diego, another sunny locale. Perterer’s main competition may come in the form of two other Olympians, Pamela Oliveira (BRA) and Claudia Rivas (MEX), both of whom raced to podium finishes last year in Huatulco. Oliveira can distance herself from the field early with a strong swim, which she has proven so far this year with performances in San Diego and a Pan American Cup event in Brazil. In addition to Oliveira and Rivas, two other top-10 finishers from last year are also on the start list - Yuliya Yelistratova (UKR) and Mateja Simic (SLO). These women will no doubt have an advantage over those without experience battling the course and the heat. Paola Diaz will be aiming for a top finish in her home country in her fifth race of the season, following four top-10 finishes in Pan American events so far this year including a win in Lima. Italy’s Gaia Peron is the only athlete with a World Cup race under her belt in 2013, earning 10th in Ishigaki where she recorded the fastest swim split of the day. Joanna Brown (CAN) could also be a contender after a top-20 finish against a tough field at the World Triathlon Series stop in San Diego. Women’s start list Elite Men The men’s race is open for the taking. Aurelien Raphael (FRA) and Crisanto Grajales (MEX) have each garnered podium finishes in early-season Continental Cups and faced off against tough competition on the World Triathlon Series circuit in San Diego back in April. But the real threat could come from Lukas Verzbicas (USA). The rising star put himself on the fast track to a break through season last year with his impressive run speed that earned him a win at the Banyoles World Cup. However, a training accident curtailed the second half of his season. Verzbicas returns to the ITU circuit and if his form is anything like last year, he will be one to watch on the run. Canadian Andrew Yorke... Events, World Cup, Media Centre, Event Release, Regions, 2013-05-14T09:50:29+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/the_social_story_from_yokohama http://www.triathlon.org/site/the_social_story_from_yokohama#When:10:42:53Z [View the story “The social story from #WTSYokohama” on Storify] Age Group, Events, World Championship Series, Regions, 2013-05-13T10:42:53+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/weekend_race_roundup_may_13_2013 http://www.triathlon.org/site/weekend_race_roundup_may_13_2013#When:08:53:04Z While the elite’s did work in Yokohama at the third stop of the World Triathlon Series, juniors took centre stage in Europe and the Americas this weekend. France cleaned up at the ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup, while Venezuela and Team ITU were well represented on the podium at the PATCO Junior Central American and Caribbean Championships. 2013 Vierzon ETU Triathlon Junior European Cup Leonie Periault and Raphael Montoya stormed to victory to make it a French double celebration at the ETU European Junior Cup in Vierzon. In the Junior women’s race, Periault chose the perfect time to win the first race of her International career. A cautious swim, where she exited behind the leaders, was followed by a tactical bike race that left her in the best possible position to use her pace to stride home for victory. In the nunior men’s race, Raphael Montoya won his second European Cup of the season and once again it was a dramatic finish. On the final lap nothing could separate Montoya from his countryman Dorian Coninx with the two fighting it out for first and second. Just as in Quarteira, it was Montoya who took Gold right on the line, just a second ahead of his opponent. Click here for full results 2013 Juan Dolio PATCO Triathlon Pan American Cup and Central American and Caribbean Championships Flavia Fernandes (BRA) positioned herself in the lead pack straight from the beginning with one of the top swims of the day in the women’s race. She held the top spot from line to line to claim the win in nearly a minute. Despite winning by such a large margin, Lisandra Hernandez (CUB) attempted to reel Fernandes in with a strong finish on the run for second. Although Debora Antillon (GUA) swam and biked with the best, she flatlined on the run for bronze. US Olympian Manuel Huerta ran clear to the win in Juan Dolio ahead of American teammate Chris Lutz with the fastest run split of the day in the men’s race. Lutz hung with Huerta until the run, which was good enough to overtake Gerardo Vergara (GUA) for silver by nine seconds. Click here for elite men’s and women’s results. 2013 Juan Dolio PATCO Triathlon Junior Central American and Caribbean Championships Steffy Mishel Salazar and Maria Cristina Farez Pucha, both competing under the Team ITU banner, swept first and second in the women’s junior races in Juan Dolio. In a three-way battle for the podium, it was Salazar who had conserved enough energy to unleash on the run, passing Farez Pucha and Brazil’s... Age Group, Regions, Americas, Europe, Sport Development, 2013-05-13T08:53:04+00:00 http://www.triathlon.org/news/article/itu_world_paratriathlon_yokohama http://www.triathlon.org/site/itu_world_paratriathlon_yokohama#When:00:49:48Z 24 competitors lined up in the ITU World Paratriathlon Yokohama this morning in breezy but fine conditions, the rain of yesterday’s elite racing gone making for a more comfortable day for athletes and spectators. The field of paratriathletes were mainly from Japan but international interest was provided by Michael Johnston (USA) and Marcelo Collett (BRA) who renewed their rivalry from the San Diego event two weeks ago in the TRI-5 category. There were also some well known stars; including 3 time Paralympian Mami Sato. Sato has represented Japan at the last 3 Paralympics Games and was 6th in the Long Jump in Beijing in 2008. The national record holder for long jump spoke of her nervousness before her third triathlon. “I am a little bit nervous; I am not so good at everything I think! Triathlon is fantastic sport for me with Paralympics athletes together it is such a good atmosphere. I have some friends watching me race too.” She need not have worried though, the popular Sato received great applause all around the course and finished to a waiting gaggle of media, keen on an interview with the sport’s latest recruit. “It was so hard of course, but I did enjoy it. Swimming I was nervous because today some paratriathletes joined and made it a high speed swim. But I did my best today. “The support is so good; people supported me and made today magic on the course. “I have been a long jumper for ten years, going to Paralympics games but maybe triathlon now for Rio 2016. Because it is a good sport for me, it is a real sport that showcases inclusion, everyone can join, I like this sport and it is good for the Paralympics movement.” Collett again had the better of Johnston in the TRI-5 category, the Brazilian also has his eyes on Rio 2016 and enjoyed his Yokohama experience. “The race I like very much, it was very good contest and strong competition here in Japan, I live it very much and want to thank all the people of Japan. I want to go to Rio, I am training very hard for Rio, this is my goal and I hope I can achieve that dream.” Also taking part was Masazumi Soejima in the TRI-1 men’s category. Soejima has competed at two Paralympics Games in 2004 and 2008, winning a bronze medal at the Athens Games in the wheel chair relay. Daisuke Ejima competed in the men’s TRI-3 category. He too is a veteran of the Paralympics, having competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Games, winning a silver medal in the medley relay at the Athens... Paratriathlon, Regions, Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania, 2013-05-12T00:49:48+00:00