Twelve months ago, Jonathan Brownlee set himself on course for another massive Olympic year with a mojo-boosting sprint-distance victory in Sardinia. On Saturday afternoon, the first action of the Paris 2024 Olympic Qualification Period saw him repeat the feat in even more emphatic fashion at the 2022 World Triathlon Cup Arzachena, leading from the early stages of the bike all the way to the tape.
It had been a four-man breakaway on
the first of three draining climbs in the 30-degree heat, but only Tom Richard
(FRA) could keep the pace up front across the run, eventually finishing third
for a first World Cup podium after Brazil’s Manoel Messias had steamrolled his
way into second with a lightening 5km.
“I love racing here, it’s a great
course, it’s one of the hardest on the circuit," said Brownlee. "I
didn’t have my best swim, on the first lap of the bike I learned from last year
there’s no point going on my own so I went really hard at the top of the hill,
got a gap. The three of us worked really well together, then I knew on the run
that I should have enough. I doubted myself over the last few years and I think
it’s because, in my early career, races and podiums came one after the other. I
am never going to take it for granted ever again. It’s absolutely brilliant to
win again.”
The temperatures had cranked up into
the low 30s by mid-afternoon as the men lined up on the beach platform, a busy
750m swim ahead with a huge field of 64 men heading to the first buoy.
The familiar sight of Mark Devay
(HUN) was first to emerge from the turn and spearhead a rapidly stretching
field, Richard Varga (SVK) Tom Richard, Jonny Brownlee and Dylan Mccullough
(NZL) for close company, but it would be Italy’s Alessio Crociani with a slick
transition to come out ahead of Valentin Morlec (FRA) onto their bikes.
Messias was alongside Adrien Briffod
(SUI), just ahead of Emil Holm (DEN), Leon Pauger (AUT), Jonas Schomburg (GER)
and Max Stapley (AUS) who poured out of transition trying to keep the leaders
in sight, U23 World Champion Csongor Lehmann just off the back of that group.
By the time the first climb started
to bite, Brownlee’s plan was clear, laying down the hammer and with only
Richard, Devay and Mccullough able to stick with him. Attacking at the crest
and into the downhill corners, the quartet had carved out an impressive
25-second lead by the end of lap one.
It was a big group struggling to
match that pace, Antonio Serrat Seaone and Shachar Sagiv (ISR) among those working
hard but they couldn’t prevent the gap stretching to 45 seconds at the bell,
the unfortunate Casper Stornes (NOR) and Briffod both coming off at speed.
The gas was kept on and the gap
maintained for the final lap, then it was Brownlee again asking the questions
after an awkward transition, able to pull clear on the opening stages of the
5km run and quickly putting 13 seconds into Devay, 20s into Richard and 40s
into Mccullough by the halfway point.
Meanwhile, Manoel Messias was really
motoring, passing first Mccullough then a tiring Devay, before easing into the
silver position over the closing stages with 11 seconds over Richard in bronze,
but there would be no catching the Brit, who now heads to WTCS Leeds with the
wind in his sails.
Devay held on for fourth, Max Studer
(SUI) ran his way to fifth ahead of Alberto Gonzalez Garcia. Radim Grebik (CZE)
then edged an almighty sprint down the blue carpet with Emil Holm and Lasse
Luhrs (GER), Jonas Schomburg rounding out the top 10.
“A lot of hard work from a lot of
people has come together to achieve this result, and I am delighted with silver
and carry on a great day for Brazil in Arzachena,” said a happy Manoel Messias.
“I am very happy, this is my first
podium in the World Cup, that was the goal before the race, so it’s
amazing," said Tom Richard. "We did a breakaway just after the swim,
I was just after Jonny Brownlee so I thought in my head that it was a good
follow. It was very hard in the three laps but I gave everything as I entered
T2 so it was very very hard. It’s amazing to join a podium with Jonny
Brownlee.”
Watch it all
back on TriathlonLive.tv.
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
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