Maryna Kyryk uses super swim to power to World Aquathlon title

by Ben Eastman on 23 Aug, 2024 12:20 • Español
Maryna Kyryk uses super swim to power to World Aquathlon title

The story of European success at the Townsville World Multisport Championships as Maryna Kyryk (UKR) claimed Ukraine’s first elite gold medal of the event. On a beautiful, clear morning, Kyryk was simply too strong for her rivals in the women’s aquathlon.

“The sun was great,” she said at the finish. “I am very happy. I didn’t expect that before the race as it’s the first time I’ve done this format - run-swim-run - so before the race I really was excited and didn’t know what to expect, but I liked it. I did my best and I’m really happy I won.”


The aquathlon followed the run-swim-run format with a 1km sea swim sandwiched by 2.5km runs. In the opening run, Kyryk led the way. She clocked 8:21 to enter T1 first with Kelsey Mitchell (AUS) breathing down her neck. A superb transition saw Claire Spicknall (AUS) assume the lead as a front pack of five made the run down to the beach.

It was in the water that Kyryk dominated. She swam away from her fellow leaders and opened up a 20 second with her split of 12:58. Spicknall, still only a junior athlete, was the next fastest in 13:18. With her lead secured, it was a simple matter for Kyryk to produce a clean final run, which she duly did.

Further back, Mitchell had to recover from a slightly slower swim and had Spicknall in her sights. As the two Australians battled, Mitchell dropped a field-leading split of 8:42, some 3 seconds faster than Kyryk’s effort. However, it was ultimately not enough. Spicknall held on for a fantastic silver medal. After the race, Mitchell was then disqualified. She had received a penalty for putting on her swim cap before arriving in T1 and did not serve it before the end of the race. As a result, Klara Mooney (AUS) was promoted to 3rd place and received the bronze medal.

In addition to her senior silver medal, Spicknall became World Junior champion too. Later on, Isla Watson (AUS) won the World U23 title.

Related Event: 2024 World Triathlon Aquathlon Championships Townsville
23 Aug, 2024 • event pageall results
Results: Elite Women
1. Maryna Kyryk UKR 00:32:17
2. Claire Spicknall AUS 00:32:50
3. Kiara Mooney AUS 00:33:13
4. Chloe Dooley GBR 00:33:27
5. Isla Watson AUS 00:34:06
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