The 2X2 Mixed Relay brought the 2023
World Triathlon Winter Champioships Skeikampen to a close, Sandra Mairhofer and
Franco Pesavento taking Team Italy to gold ahead of Team Norway in second,
Romania third.
The Italian team of Sandra Mairhofer
and Franco Pesavento scored their first Winter Triathlon Mixed Relay World
titles on Sunday afternoon in Skeikampen, Norway, closing out a memorable 2023
World Triathlon Winter Championships in fine style.
Crowned the women's individual World
Champion the previous day, Mairhofer was showing no sign of fatigue over her
two legs after Pesavento had set things up with a blistering first
run-bike-ski. After successive relay silvers for Mairhofer, the gold capped
another brilliant weekend in the snow for the decorated multisport star.
Team Norway I held off a late surge
from Team II, and Ingrid Lorvik had to serve a time penalty, before finally
securing the silver with partner Hans Christian Tungesvik, the bronze going to
Romania’s Maria Luisa Rasina and Viorel Palici as the third fastest nation
across the line.
It was Italy and Norway II fastest
out of the blocks in the Skeikampen sunshine, Oivind Bjerkseth and Franco
Pesavento flying back down the hill to transition only for the Norwegian to
struggle to get out on the bike allowing Pesavento to establish an early lead.
After bronze in the individual race,
Pesavento looked determined to press home the advantage, searing through the
bike and keeping the lead even with the marauding, newly crowned World Champion
Hans Christian Tungesvik closing in behind.
Mairhofer was tagged and away clear,
but Lorvik was also in full flow behind and chasing hard, taking 30 seconds out
of the lead so the Italians were in sight at the halfway point.
Pesavento was again pulling clear on
the run and bike then reeled in over the ski, Marek Rauchfuss powering through
his second leg for the Czech team, Bjerkseth tiring as it began to look like
the silver was out of reach.
As Mairhofer produced the perfect
final leg, it was in fact Friday’s Duathlon World Champion Julie Meinicke
making up ground on Lorvik, and with a penalty to serve for equipment
infraction right by the home straight, Norway I’s silver suddenly looked in
peril.
As Meinicke closed in, the official
released Lorvik, however, and she was able to ski home for second by just six
seconds from Norway II, Rasina and Romania able to take the bronze as third
fastest nation.
For the full results, click here.
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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