Following up on her world championship silver in Quarteira last year, Sweden’s Tilda Mansson powered to the gold in Montreal on Friday morning, pulling away from Jule Behrens over the last run lap to take the tape and the 2022 world title.
The format had been changed to
duathlon after heavy rains in the preceding days affected the water course, and
the previous year’s top two were soon locked in battle across the run-bike-run,
eventually leaving the rest of the field trailing, Livia Gross of Switzerland
was able to win the challenge for bronze.
“I would have liked to have the
triathlon, that’s what I came here for, but it’s the same for everyone,” said a
delighted Mansson. “I was very nervous today, I don’t know why, but I think I
handled it well. On the second lap I just wanted to go, I heard the gap was
getting longer and just thought, don’t stop! My mother’s here supporting me,
and my brother at home who is my coach, so I’m very grateful to him too.”
With the start line changed to the
edge of transition, the women lined up four-deep and it was Mansson, Bherens
and Myral Greco (ITA) who were straight to the front. It wasn’t long before the
field had started to string out, Brazil’s Julia Munhoz sadly ending her race
early with an injury in the very first lap.
Clara Normand (CAN) and Faith Dasso
(USA) were among the names in the middle of the pack, Marcela Alvarez Solis
(MEX) spearheading the athletes back to the blue carpet before looping round
the hairpin to transition for the first time.
It was Solis out first with Greco and
Ilona Hadoum (FRA), Mansson and Noemie Beaulieu (CAN) just five seconds behind.
Elena Viejo Campos (ESP) was also well set as a pack of nine cyclists formed
out front on the first of four laps.
Manon Laporte (FRA) was among those
driving the train forward as 16 athletes came together, Bethany Cook (GBR) and
Felipa Hermann (GER) also going well at the halfway point,
Behrens from Laporte and Greco after
lap one on the bike but 19 in the group now slicing through the tight and
technical bike course.
Through transition for the final
time, Beaulieu gave the crowds plenty to cheer as she was out first onto the
run, Julia Brocker on her shoulder. But just a few metres back it was Mansson
and Behrens already planning their move, and it wasn’t long before the duo had
hit the front, the German sat right on the Swede’s shoulder for the first
2.5km.
The lead to Beaulieu, Brocker and
Gross was 25 seconds at the bell, and as that gap grew, so Gross was able to
pull clear in third. Meanwhile out front, it was Mansson who was able to afford
herself a big grin as she looked over her shoulder one final time to see the
gap now hitting 10 seconds to her nearest rival, and the world title was all
hers. Beaulieu finished with fourth for Canada, Luna De Bruin (NED) running her
way into fifth.
Full results click
here. https://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2022_world_triathlon_sprint_relay_championships_montreal?mc_cid=21657ba056&mc_eid=6139649918
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
World Triathlon is the international
governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all
related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon,
cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in
Sydney 2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the
programme at Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic
programme at Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development
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