Mutscheller and Post: 2nd gold medal

by World Triathlon Admin on 04 Mar, 2007 12:00

Sigrid Mutscheller from Germany and the Norwegian Arne Post both doubled the number of their gold medals winning the elite women team relay event for Germany and the elite men team relay event for Norway.

On the second day of the 2007 Flassin ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships the elite team relay races were followed by the age-group competitions. After a clear and cold night all the melting snow and rain from the previous days frozen on the course put the organizing committee and the ITU officials in some very difficult situations again.

After the decision of the competition jury the run and the bike course had to be changed a bit to keep the main principals of ITU, the safety of the athletes and the fair competition. Finally the elite team relay events started with 35 minutes delay. Since there was no opportunity to do any drafting on the bike segment the men and women started together as well as the juniors. In the team relay three athletes compose a team all of them doing a short winter triathlon.

In elite women event the battle was expected between the German and the Norwegian teams, but all the others were capable to finish on the podium. After the first relay the Germany was leading, Jutta Schubert proved again that she arrived to Flassin well prepared after the 4th place the previous day in the individual race. She was followed by Marlies Penker bringing the Austrian team in second place and she was followed by Cammilla Hott Johansen from Norway. The teams from Italy and USA were over two minutes behind the leader after the first athletes. The German and the Norwegian teams increased their lead over the other with the performance of the second athletes and the differnce between them was only 5 seconds for the Norwegian team. But,... the last athletes came and Sigrid Mutscheller performed again the best time of the day and collected her second gold medal of the weekend bringing the German team to the top of the podium. The Norwegians came second and the Austrian team maintained their lead by Carina Wasle claming the bronze medal over the Italians and the USA team finishing fourth and fifth.

In the mens event there were several teams potentially going for the podium. The Italian A team had a tactic to start their best athletes as first and second hoping that the third athlete could keep the lead. After the first relay it was not a surprise that they were in the lead making the local spectators excited about the race. Russia came second place, Austria third, Norway only fourth and the German team further behind in sixth position. Daniel Antonioli could not increase the lead over the Norwegians and the Germans, but over all the other teams. This resulted a clean 40 seconds lead of the third Italian athlete, but he was followed by the two great athletes, the current World Champion Arne Post from Norway and the 2006 World Champion after an unlucky race the day before with a broken bike chain, Benjamin Sonntag. The two champions were together side by side during the run and the bike chasing the Italian athlete Luca Bonazzi till the half way mark of the bike where they passed him. From that on the only question was if Sonntag could keep the speed of Post on the cross-country ski. He couldnt since Post brought the Norwegian team to the first place with a 5 seconds lead of the German team. Sigi Bauer managed to finish third with the Austrian team, the Italian team finally finished only fifth.

In the junior men event, Norway finished first followed by Austria and Italy. As the closing event of the World Championships the course was given to the Age Group athletes competing in 5 years age categories.

Some facts from the World Championships:
The biggest ever World Championships field
242 athletes from 23 countries entered
4 continents represented: Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania
15,750 US$ prize money
140 trucks of snow brought from 7km up from the mountains to save the World Championships due to the warm and rainy weather
Television show produced and distributed via Eurovision

Final elite medal standings:
GoldSilverBronze
1. Norway431
2. Italy212
3. Germany210
4. Russia011
5. Austria034
6. France001
7. Slovakia001

Click here for full results.


The German team celebrate their success.


Team Norway lead the medals table at the end of the weekend.

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