The conditions could not have been
more different to eight months ago when France’s Arthur Serrieres won his first
Cross Triathlon world title, but the smile and roar of delight as he took the
tape for a second time on Wednesday afternoon in Romania was just the same.
The 27-year-old topped a podium sweep
for the French at the World Triathlon Multisport Championships Targu Mures,
brothers Felix and Arthur Forissier crossing for silver and bronze
respectively. Portugal’s rising star François Vie putting together three great
segments to win the U23 world title.
“It’s a tough race, so I am really
happy to take my second world title. It’s always a special feeling to have a
world championship title,” said a delighted Serrieres. “I had a pretty good
swim for me. A few days ago, I did XTERRA Ecuador and was not in good shape on
the swim but here I was maybe 10-seconds behind the leader. I had a poor
transition but just had to push on the connection and at the end I was with the
lead pack. We tried to manage the pace but it’s a really tough bike and at the
end I knew I was with Felix and Arthur who are two strong runners. I played my
card and pushed and I am really happy to take the win here.”
The men were first into the water of
the sports lake for the deep-water start, and much to his and the crowd’s
delight, it was Alexandru Ion (ROU) leading after the first 500m, pumping his
fists as he was roared back into the water for the second lap.
Close behind were Italy’s Michele
Bonacina and the New Zealander Sam Osbourne, Jules Dumas (FRA) and Vie also
going well. Felix Forissier and Serrieres were 15 seconds back, Ruben Ruzafa 20
seconds and Arthur Forissier trying in vain to get on the Spaniard’s feet.
That was pretty much how it stayed
through lap two, Arthur Forissier dropping further back from the front but then
able to quickly claw back some time over the connecting bike section and
joining the front pack as the tough five-lap loop began in earnest.
Bonacina faded first and fell off the
pace, Ruzafa predictably flying through the field but even the great champion
was unable to match the watts being pushed by the Forissier brothers, both
working well with Serrieres to take turns out front with Osbourne until the
Kiwi began to lose sight and joined Lukas Kochar chasing French shadows through
the forest.
Out of T2 after 80 gruelling minutes
in the saddle and suddenly Serrieres was a man on a mission, eager to test the
two brothers early on the run and hoping to break their spirit.
The tactic paid off, 26 seconds the
gap after the first 3.5km loop to Felix Forissier, brother Arthur feeling the
heat and dropping to a minute back but still well clear of Osbourne who had
Ruzafa breathing down his neck.
The second lap truly belonged to
Serrieres, his 26m24s for the 7km run clocking in at over a minute quicker than
anyone else in the field and ensuring he had all the time in the world to enjoy
his moment down the blue carpet to take the tape for the second successive
year.
It was the younger Forissier, Felix,
who delivered the silver finishing a minute ahead of Arthur, the pair enjoying
their first Cross Triathlon World Championship together having raced around the
world for years.
Osbourne found the legs to outdo
Ruzafa and finish with a bittersweet fourth place, Kocar in fifth ahead of Vie
who secured the U23 world title and underlined why he had been a name on many
people’s lips heading into the race, Jules Dumas and Luuk Chambeyron of France
with the U23 silver and bronze.
Earlier in the day it had been an
Italian sweep spearheaded by Ruslan Farci on his way to becoming Junior World
Cross Triathlon Champion ahead of Niccolo Sancisi and Lukas Lanzinger.
For the full results, click here. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2022_world_triathlon_cross_championships_targu_mures/550540?mc_cid=0607147e98&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.
www.triathlon.org
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