Sunday, June 12, 2022

WORLD TRIATHLON - Brea Abreu defends duathlon world title with powerful display in Targu Mures



It was to be another imperious Duathlon world title for Venezuela’s Joselyn Daniely Brea Abreu on Friday after she came through her second battle in seven months with Ai Ueda (JPN) to seize gold at the 2022 World Triathlon Multisport Championships Targu Mures. The two had been shoulder-to-shoulder for much of the final 5km run along with Germany’s Celine Kaiser and Giorgia Priarone, and as the Italian fell off the front, it was Kaiser who held on for a magnificent silver, last year’s runner up Ueda settling for bronze.

With the sun out and baking the tarmac of the Transylvania Moto Ring as well as the athletes racing on it, conditions were ripe for Brea Abreu and Ueda to take charge out front and set the early pace of the opening 10km run. Things were starting to break up by the halfway mark, and there was a group of seven going well out front for the penultimate climb up to the highest section of the 2.5km run course, including Kaiser, Giorgia Priarone (ITA) and Marion Le Goff (FRA).

Sandrina Illes (AUT) and Claudia Kelsall (GBR) were among the names giving chase as Kaiser was dropped coming down for the final long straight before T1 and losing hope of getting on the back wheel of the leaders.

It was a long climb straight out of transition to test the legs, Brea Abreu looking fresh as she attacked the first lap but there was little in the way of organisation from those at the back of the group, Ueda urging them all to take pulls and help maintain their precious but narrowing advantage.

Midway through lap two Kaiser was back on the front and pressing on with nine rivals for company, 25 seconds ahead of Kelsall, Marta Bernardi (ITA), Edymar Daniely Brea Abreu (VEN) and Karin Nieuwenhuijsen (NED), but that foursome was able to bridge as the pace ahead slowed over the closing stages in preparation for the decisive final 5km.

Spain’s María Varo Zubiri was out alongside Priarone onto the run course, but Ueda was soon back in familiar territory heading up the race and splitting up the field. Brea Abreu and Kaiser were in full flow as the Spaniard and then Italian dropped back, and the final lap was a race between three, the only question left who would claim which colour of medal.

Abreu was first to charge and it was a perfectly timed roll of the dice down the long straight to the tape, Kaiser with a brilliant effort to hold off Ueda for the silver, Priarone crossing in fourth and fifth place going to Zubiri, while the U23 world title went to Hungary’s Tünde Bukovszki.

For the full results, click here. https://triathlon.org/results/result/2022_world_triathlon_duathlon_championships_targu_mures/550428?mc_cid=c9e154dece&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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