It was a duathlon format for the
men’s qualification races following heavy rains in the lead up to the event
affecting the water course, but that didn’t dampen the excitement as the
battles to progress without the need for a repechage began.
Morocco’s Jawad Abdelmoula looked in
complete control as the opening single-lap run section got the first of the two
men’s qualification races underway, but there was little splintering of the
field.
Sylvain Fridelance (SUI) was looking
to make sure he didn’t have to chase on the final run, straight onto the gas
out of transition and quickly opening up a healthy advantage.
Sam Dickinson (GBR) was the only one
in the chase pack who wanted to try and close that gap and there was 7 seconds
to the Swiss at the bell and then another 6 to the chasers including Marten Van
Riel (BEL), Jelle Geens (BEL) Alex Yee (GBR) and last year’s champion here
Dorian Coninx (FRA).
Fridelance had 7 seconds at the
dismount line, but only 12 seconds separated 26 athletes all hunting the ten
automatic spots in the final.
Bergere and Geens were first to give
chase and had quickly caught Fridelance, Copeland and Abdelmoula tucked in and
going well further back, Yee just about safe with Jacob Birtwhistle at the bell
and Matthew McElroy on their shoulders.
Abdelmoula would stride to the line
in first from Geens and Yee, McElroy also safe, and it was Charles Paquet for
Canada with the precious final spot to avoid the repechage.
“A race at home and being able to
make it directly to the final is very special,” said Charles Paquet. “In the
second lap of the run I didn’t know if I was ninth, tenth or eleventh, until I
heard a coach shouting at me that i was 10th but a guy was right on my back so
I knew the last kilometre would be a hard one, and indeed it was. But I am so
glad I made it.”
The second race saw Wilde and Luis
line up side-by-side, Richard Murray continuing his road back to the blue
carpet after an impressive return at WTCS Leeds and working his way into the
safety of the main group.
Manoel Messias (BRA) and Callum
McClusky (AUS) were in front out of transition, Genis Grau (ESP) also keeping
his nose ahead, but there was drama ahead as Gabor Faldum (HUN) was upended and
Roberto Sanchez Mantecon (ESP).
On the run, Alessio Crociani and
McClusky lead down final straight, after turn and mount it was Messias, Wilde
and Grau, Luis just off the pace but quickly bridging up.
At the end of the first lap, McClusky
almost stumbled to the floor at the turn, then there was further incident as
Luis foot appeared to get caught on a couple of occasions, the Frenchman
remonstrating with those behind, all too aware of Jelle Geens’ injury sustained
here last year when he was tripped on the tight course.
It was Messias home first, teammate
Miguel Hidalgo safe in sixth, along with Diego Moya, Tyler Mislawchuk and
Denmark’s Emil Holme taking the final two spots to force Roberto Sanchez
Mantecon into 11th and the repechage with the likes of Genis Grau (ESP) and
Seth Rider (USA).
“There are a lot of young guys coming
up now, Im probably the oldest one in the field,” said Vincent Luis. “My friend
Jelle Geens had a broken scafoid last year because of an incident like this.
These people have to calm down a bit, and sometimes we have to report these
incidents cause we don’t want this things happening in our sport.”
Belgium’s Marten Van Riel was one of
the surprise names on the start list of the first of two men’s repechages,
Tayler Reid (NZL) missing his strong swim and, knowing only five would go
through from the race, there was no room for patience.
Kenji Nener (JPN) got straight on the
front for the bike segment with Reid, Takumi Hojo and Van Riel, but all 18
athletes were in one pack for the first of the three laps.
Varga dropped off first due to a
mechanical issue, Itamar Eshed (ISR) pulling up front at the bell but the whole
field mentally preparing for an intense 2km run.
Hojo had a brilliant transition but
Van Riel missed the box with his kit and fell back with work suddenly to do,
teammate Noah Servais in fourth. New Zealand pair Reid and Trent Thorpe were
men on a mission, Sylvain Fridelance (SUI) and Gianluca Pozzatti (ITA) trying
to hold on.
But work Van Riel did, and while
Fridelance was flying upfront and only four spots were now available, six athletes
in contention. It was to be Hojo, Van Riel, Reid and Nener who scraped through,
hoping not too great a toll was taken in the rising temperatures.
The second Repechage also had some
unusual names on the start list, like Seth Rider (USA) or the Spanish pair
Roberto Sanchez Mantecon and Genis Grau. Knowing that only the first five men
will make it through to the final on Saturday, the first run segment was again
a fast and furious one, with all athletes making it to the first transition as
a big pack.
It was Norway’s Vettle Thorn who
decided to push hard once they were on the bike, trying to open up some meters
with the chasers behind, but he was not able to make an impact on the train of
athletes, and they managed to get through the three laps controlling the speed
on the 180 degree turns, avoiding any problems, with Mantecon, Gabor Faldum
(HUN) and Seth Rider taking turns up front.
They all hit transition still as a
compact group, to have Mantecon, Grau and Joao Silva (POR) to show their speed
in the first little downhill out of transition. They never looked back, and
only Ricardo Batista (POR) and Erwin Vanderplancke (BEL) were able to follow
them, opening very soon a significant pack. Knowing that five was the safe
number, and five men they were, they just worked together efficiently to make
it safely to the finish line, only speeding up the group a little bit when thew
saw Brent Demarest (USA), in 6th place, trying to catch up.
Batista, Grau, Vanderplancke, Silva
and Mantecon got the precious final five spots for the finals on Saturday.
Full results can be found here https://www.triathlon.org/results/result/2022_world_triathlon_sprint_relay_championships_montreal?mc_cid=5d2fb37ff6&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
of the sport worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and
transparency at our core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the
sport to be extraordinary.
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